Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
A family’s worst nightmare may be that their loved one is being abused in a long-term care facility, but neglect is another form of mistreatment, and can also have devastating consequences. Neglect is the failure to care for a person in a manner that would avoid harm and pain, or the failure to react to a situation that may be harmful. Neglect can be intentional or unintentional. Examples of unintentional but neglectful care include: incorrect body positioning, lack of assistance eating and drinking, lack of bathing, and ignoring calls for help.
Abuse and neglect often are not obvious, but there may be signs that can hint at both. Some of these signs are dehydration, malnutrition, bruises, food poisoning, poor hygiene, bed sores, falls, and wandering. There are different statutes and regulations that protect the rights of senior citizens and nursing home residents.
Rights of Nursing Home Residents
Nursing home residents have the right to live in a safe environment and to be free from mistreatment. Mistreatment involves abuse, including physical, mental, verbal, and sexual abuse, neglect, or the failure to provide proper care to a resident, and exploitation, or the illegal or improper use of a resident’s money or belongings.
Federal nursing home regulations give residents certain rights. These rights include the right to be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, the right to be treated with dignity and respect, and the right to have privacy and security. The facility is required to develop policies and procedures that prohibit abuse, neglect, and exploitation, to investigate and report all allegations of abuse, and to protect residents from mistreatment.
Advocacy Group Files Claim After Patient Dies in Nursing Home
According to one news source, a state group that investigates allegations of abuse and neglect against people with disabilities recently filed a lawsuit against a Michigan nursing home after a resident died in the patient’s care. The resident was found unresponsive and was taken to the hospital, and died the following day. The claim alleges that the man was not receiving adequate care. According to the complaint, he had physical and neurological disabilities. The group also claimed that it requested records that the nursing home still has not provided. The nursing home requested additional time to provide the records, and later asked for more time. The group is still waiting for the requested medical information.
Contact a Nursing Home Attorney
If you believe that a loved one at a nursing home facility is being neglected or abused, you should speak with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible who can advise you regarding the proper steps to take. If you are worried that an elderly friend or relative who is staying at a nursing home in Maryland or the Washington, D.C. area is suffering from nursing home neglect or abuse, call us today for a free consultation. Call us toll-free at 800-654-1949 or contact us online.
More Blog Posts:
Sexual Assault in Nursing Homes Is Too Often Slow to Be Reported or Taken Seriously, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published March 10, 2017.
Nursing Homes Must Comply with Mandatory Discovery Requirements or Potentially Face Contempt Charges, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published February 28, 2017.