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Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Posted December 2, 2016

The elderly population in the United States is increasing.  By 2050, the number of people aged 85 and over is projected to reach 18 million and account for nearly 4.5% of the population.  The demand for care to meet the needs of this population is growing along with it.

Many seniors and their families depend on and trust nursing homes to provide compassionate, attentive, and dignified care.  Nursing homes are obligated to ensure that their residents’ needs are met, that they provide proper care, reasonable quality of life and that they do not put their residents at risk of getting injured, harmed or abused.  Residents of nursing homes may have impaired physical and cognitive infirmity making them vulnerable to mistreatment and abuse.  Not only can nursing home negligence and abuse impair a senior’s quality of life, but it can cause serious injury.  

Some of the most common types of neglect and abuse include the following:

  • Preventable pressure ulcers or bed sores
  • Fall down or dropped patients
  • Unsupervised wandering known as “elopement”
  • Malnutrition, dehydration or choking accidents
  • Physical restraint by tying a resident down to his or her bed or wheelchair for convenience of the facility or to punish the patient
  • Medication errors, adverse drug reactions, or chemical restraint by improper administration of medications to make a patient easier to care for
  • Physical abuse by staff and other residents including altercations, punching, hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, or burning
  • Sexual assault by staff members and other residents
  • Financial abuse and exploitation of residents including theft, misappropriating their finances and misusing their assets
  • Privacy abuse including taking pictures of patients with cell phones, posting pictures on social media

Causes of these types of neglect can include improper or lack of training, improper or lack of supervision and oversight, gaps in safety measures, overworked employees and understaffed facilities.  When a nursing home fails to ensure the safety of their residents, and a senior is harmed as a result, the home may be held responsible.

Getting Help from a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Nursing home abuse and neglect is against the law. Give us a call today at 732-741-2525 or contact us online if your loved one may be abused, neglected or mistreated.