Elderly people are some of the most vulnerable members of society. When you have a disabled or elderly loved one in a nursing home, it is important to always be watching out for them. Recognizing any signs of abuse or neglect is the best way that family members can protect vulnerable residents in a nursing home. They may not be able to speak out about abuse or neglect affecting them, so you are entrusted with the task of being aware of a nursing home environment at all times.
It is wise for family members to face the reality that a significant number of nursing home continually run into trouble with the law for failing to provide adequate care to residents. In Massachusetts, over 32 percent of nursing homes had an accident-prone environment and also failed to follow professional standards in the industry. This may have meant that residents were at risk for falling in hallways or were using broken equipment like walkers or wheelchairs. It is not too late for you to receive legal help for a loved one who has been the victim of abuse or neglect. You can get in touch with a Massachusetts nursing home abuse attorney who will help you today.
Under the federal law, there are several sources of governing authority for the protection of nursing home residents. The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, Older Americans Act and the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 are all laws in place that seek to ensure the proper treatment and care of nursing home residents. If care is not administered in accordance with these Acts, then nursing home administrators may be subject to sanctions and civil penalties.
The Older Americans Act currently provides grants to States for social services intended to help elderly people. The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 is more commonly used as a piece of legislation to assert the rights of nursing home residents. This Act clearly states the numerous rights that nursing home residents have, and many state laws have states that are modeled after the Act. In this Act, residents have the right to be free from abuse and neglect. They also have the right to refuse certain types of medical treatments that may be in disharmony with religious values. Nursing homes also have a responsibility to provide the physical, medical and psychological services that a resident may require. Unfortunately, nursing homes have a tendency to avoid providing those mental or physical services to residents that may be expensive.
In Massachusetts, the governing authority for the rights of nursing home residents is the Abuse of Elderly Persons Act. The legislature has broadly defined abuse as any knowing, intentional or negligent act by a caregiver that causes harm to a nursing home resident. The sad truth is that many instances of abuse go unreported every year. It is time for family members to begin to recognize the signs of abuse so that they can report it to the appropriate authorities. The following are types of abuse that commonly impact elderly people:
Abandonment may occur when a resident is not cared for in a nursing home. Workers may forget to administer medication to a resident or forget to provide him or her with daily meals. These are serious incidents of neglect, and administrators should not persuade family members that they are just “minor” incidents. Even if one of these incidents happens once, it should alert family members that a pattern of abuse may be affecting a loved one.
If you have discovered that your loved one is the victim of abuse and neglect, it is time to speak with a lawyer about his or her legal rights. We have attorneys ready to help clients throughout Massachusetts in areas such as:
Call one of our lawyers today to proceed with your case and obtain compensation for your loved one. Our lawyers will stand up for the legal rights of your loved one and fight for the compensation that he or she deserves.
Pressure sores are a serious problem in nursing homes and assisted living facilities throughout Massachusetts. A bedsore (decubitus ulcer; pressure ulcer; pressure sore) often develops as an open wound when an individual remains in one position for an extended period. It often occurs when a patient is not turned or repositioned in bed frequently or allowed to remain in a single position when seated in a chair or wheelchair for too long.
Nearly every type of early-stage pressure sore can heal completely when treated properly when detected. However, when left untreated, pressure ulcers can quickly become infected causing a serious, life-threatening illness. Pressure sores can occur even in well-managed nursing homes, where the staff has been properly trained in bedsore prevention. However, when the medical staff does not follow routine turning protocol every day, a sore can begin develop if the patient’s needs are neglected for just a few hours or less.
Bedsores develop from pressure applied on the skin, typically when the weight of the patient’s body pushes or rests against cushions, padding and bedding materials. A limb resting on another limb for too long can also cause a pressure sore to develop. The most highly susceptible patients to bedsore development are usually bedridden or bound to a wheelchair, and those suffering from some debilitating condition including quadriplegia, paraplegia or coma.
To ensure the quality of life for every patient, nursing home facilities are required to follow medical regulations and provide adequate standards of care at all times. This includes making sure every patient receives daily nutritional meals and adequate hydration. The facility must also enforce strict “readjusting” protocols to ensure that every mobility-challenged patient is turned a minimum of one time within a two-hour timeframe.
When a bedsore is first detected on the patient, it is usually at a Stage I or Stage II level, where red spots, fluid filled blisters or a small open wound crater appears. When in the early stages, the condition can usually be reversed easily, when proper healing methods are used. Some of these methods include:
However, when the pressure sore is allowed to progress to advancing stages (Stage III & IV) the health of the patient is greatly compromised. Statistics indicate that less than 50 percent of all Stage III pressure sores heal completely, and less than 30 percent of all Stage IV bedsores are resolved.
If the wound progresses to advancing stages, the pressure sore develops an open crater, which often exposes underlying bone and muscle. In many cases, the patient suffers serious bone (osteomyelitis) and blood (sepsis) infections, which are extremely painful and challenging to treat. If the infection cannot be controlled using antibiotics, the risk of the patient dying from the condition is increased.
Whenever family members discover their loved one is suffering a bedsore at a skilled nursing facility, they often take steps to contact the nursing management, nursing staff and caregivers for immediate assistance. However, some administrators in nursing facilities will attempt to divert legal liability by transferring the patient to another nursing home, sending the patient home, or to a hospital.
In most cases, legal means are often the only viable ways to ensure the patient is receiving proper medical care to treat an advancing pressure sore as soon as possible. A reputable Massachusetts pressure sore attorney can take immediate steps to inform regulatory authorities of the neglect, file a lawsuit, and send an intervention medical team specialized in treating advanced pressure ulcers to the patient’s bed in the nursing facility.
These professionals offer services in communities all throughout Massachusetts including:
By filling out and submitting the contact form here you can contact a nursing home abuse lawyer to schedule a no obligation initial consultation. The attorneys work on contingency, meaning the law firm advances payment for their legal services, which will be paid from an out-of-court settlement or an award at trial.
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