Pennsylvania Has Nursing Home Oversight Problems

We just read an editorial that highlights the importance of strong oversight of nursing homes. The article follows that case of an Arkansas-based nursing home company that at one time had $3 billion in revenue and operated many nursing homes here in Pennsylvania. They have since faced litigation for violations ranging from, “poor training, medication errors, skeletal staffing, and even resident deaths.”

The litigation forced the Pennsylvania Health Department to do something about bad nursing homes. Unfortunately, many nursing homes across Pennsylvania still offer sub-par care and that state regulators do not do enough to protect the residents inside these homes.

At The Weitz Firm, LLC, we know that nursing home care has been a problem for a long time now, but many people do not talk about it. That needs to change. One of the worst things that can happen in a home is the abuse of a loved one. If you need a Philadelphia nursing home abuse attorney, call us today.

What Can Happen?

We need to talk about elder abuse. It happens more often than any of us like to admit and often inside of nursing homes. We have nearly 16,000 nursing homes in the US according to the CDC. That number is going to rise as our population’s average age continues to increase.

What kind of abuse happens in a nursing home?

The CDC discusses some of the abuse that can happen:

• Physical Abuse – This can include beating, hitting, slapping, choking, shoving, and more. Any time a nursing home staff member contacts a resident in an unwanted or unprofessional way, that is physical abuse
• Sexual Abuse – This is the hardest form of abuse to talk about, but it happens inside of nursing homes. Any sexual contact between a staff member and a resident is abused.
• Financial Abuse – The staff of nursing homes has access to residents’ personal and financial information. While they are expected to use this information responsibly, there are cases of staff members stealing money and identities of residents.
• Emotional Abuse – We see this in both verbal and nonverbal staff behavior and it results in residents’ anguish, mental pain, or distress. This can come in the form of threatening residents, calling them names, isolating them, or punishing them.
• Neglect – Caregiver neglect can include withholding food, medication, or shelter.

What You Can Do

If you have found out that a loved one has suffered from abuse in a nursing home, seek legal assistance as soon as you can. This is unacceptable, and you need help holding those responsible accountable for their actions. At The Weitz Firm, LLC, our qualified and experienced team will work with you to get the compensation you and your loved ones deserve.

This can include:

• Pain and suffering damages
• Cost of medical treatment
• Cost of transfer to another facility
• Punitive damages

When you need a Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 267-587-6240.