Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
Nursing homes that care for the elderly have an affirmative duty to provide for the basic needs of the residents for whom the home is charged with caring. This duty goes beyond a moral one, and it is actually legally imposed and enforceable by the courts. In fact, if a nursing home resident suffers any physical injury or psychological torment, the nursing home can be held legally responsible. Injured residents and their families may be entitled to substantial compensation based on the neglectful or abusive tendencies of nursing home staff.
When the term nursing home neglect is thrown around, most imagine a busy nurse failing to attend to every need of their patients. Perhaps the nurse leaves a soiled diaper on a resident for too long, or delivers a meal later than desired. However, the truth about nursing home abuse is much more terrifying.
A Horrific Example of Nursing Home Neglect
Earlier last month, eight employees of an elderly care facility not far from Manchester, England were charged with the neglect of a patient. According to one local news source covering the disturbing story, the eight charged included the owner of the facility as well as the person responsible for keeping the man’s room clean.
Evidently, the 79-year-old man suffered from dementia and was placed in the home in February 2013. It was not until December of that year that the man’s family members visited him. When they did, they were shocked by what they saw. According to the news report, the man’s room was filthy and reeked of cigarette smoke, urine, and feces. The walls of the room were dirty and the floors sticky. The chair next to the bed was covered in feces and cigarette burns. The man’s bed was broken, with no bedding and a soiled mattress. The family also reported seeing an “encrusted” bottle full of urine on the table next to a cup of tea, and a bowl of feces and urine under the bed.
Not surprisingly, the man was in terrible health, with open sores around his groin area. Since the nursing home employees had allowed him to smoke in the room unsupervised, he also had a number of burns all over his hands.
The result of the trial is yet to be announced, since it was still ongoing at the time of the article’s publication.
Has Your Loved One Suffered in a Maryland Nursing Home?
If you have a loved one whom you believe is suffering from neglect in a Maryland nursing home, you and your loved one may be entitled to monetary compensation. While the example discussed above may seem like an extreme one, these situations arise with frightening regularity. Call the Maryland and Washington, D.C. personal injury law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers to set up a free consultation with an experienced attorney today to discuss your case. Calling is free and will not result in any liability or obligation to you unless we can help you and your loved one recover the compensation they deserve.
More Blog Posts:
Appellate Court Reverses Lower Court’s Dismissal of Plaintiff’s Elder Abuse Case, Allowing the Case to Move Forward, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published April 21, 2016.
Politicians Speak Out against Nursing Home Abuse Posted on Social Media, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published April 7, 2016.