Nursing Home Neglect
Although many people conflate the terms, nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect are actually two different things. While abuse refers to the willful infliction of a physical or mental injury on a resident, neglect involves a failure to provide adequate care, including food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and supervision, which results in physical or mental harm. Unfortunately, neglect can have just as harmful an effect as abuse, leaving victims to suffer from untreated medical conditions or to live in unhealthy surroundings. Nursing homes that engage in this type of neglect can, however, be held accountable for their actions, so if your own loved one was the victim of nursing home neglect, you should seek out an experienced Tulsa nursing home neglect lawyer who can advise you.
Examples of Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect generally falls under one of two categories:
- The failure to provide needed assistance and services; or
- Performing a task inappropriately or when not qualified or supervised.
Although both these types of neglect can take a number of different forms most involve:
- Unsafe and unsanitary conditions;
- The improper use of chemical or physical restraints;
- A failure to provide residents with adequate nutrition;
- A failure to provide residents with fresh clothing or assist them with bathing or using the toilet;
- Failing to provide residents with proper medication or medical care; and
- Ignoring resident requests.
This type of neglect is linked to a variety of causes, including:
- Stressful working situations and staffing shortages, including poor staff to resident ratios;
- Staff burnout, usually the result of shortages and mandatory overtime; and
- A combination of aggression and poor training on how to handle challenging behavior.
Whatever the cause, nursing home neglect can have devastating consequences for residents, who are often elderly and already prone to serious health conditions. Fortunately, it is possible for the families of the victims of nursing home neglect to recover damages for their loved one’s losses. This could include compensation for everything from medical bills and housing costs to the pain and suffering they endured as a result of the neglect. Although it is true that this type of recovery can never truly compensate a person for being the victim of nursing home neglect, it can go a long way towards paying off mounting medical debt and other costs. Filing this type of claim does, however, tend to be complicated, especially when the victim tragically loses his or her life, making it especially important for those whose loved ones are injured in a nursing home, to speak with an attorney as soon as possible.
Call a Tulsa Nursing Home Lawyer for Help with Your Case
To speak with an experienced Tulsa nursing home neglect lawyer about your loved one’s rights and options, please call Levinson Law, P.C. at 918-492-4433. You can also schedule a free consultation with us by filling out one of our online forms with your case details and your contact information. We are standing by to address your nursing home neglect-related questions and concerns.
Resource:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK98786/
