Overview: Nursing Home Abuse
Each year, thousands of Americans enroll in nursing home programs with the expectation that they will be cared for in a healthy and respectful manner. While many of these nursing home residents complete their stays in nursing homes without incidents, there are occasions when nursing home residents will suffer from abuse from their caretakers.
If you or a loved one has suffered from nursing home abuse, contact our experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys. Our attorneys specialize in cases involving a wide variety of nursing home abuses, including neglect, financial abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse and more.
Face the Facts: Nursing Home Abuse
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nearly three million Americans will enroll in residency programs throughout the 16,000 nursing homes across the country at some point during their lifetimes. Many of these facilities will provide excellent care for elderly residents. However, in the event that a nursing home is liable for personal injuries inflicted upon its residents, it is important that residents and their loved ones have reliable attorneys to turn to for help.
The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California found that each certified nursing home had at least 13.3 deficiencies in 2006. 13.1 of those deficiencies were believed to potentially cause harm to residents.
These deficiencies included:
- Poor food sanitation (57 percent)
- Insufficient quality of care (61 percent)
- Failure to meet professional standards (8 percent)
- Occurrences of preventable accidents (64 percent)
- Poor housekeeping (56 percent)
- Insufficient accident prevention (8 percent)
- Insufficient comprehensive care plans (17 percent)
- Pressure sores on residents (14 percent)
- Insufficient incontinence or urinary care (20 percent)
- Insufficient infection control (41 percent)