There are more than 40 million senior citizens currently living in the United States.  Because of their declining mental and physical conditions, many of these men and women are not capable of caring for themselves, and their care and wellbeing is often left to the mercy of others, such as nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and assisted living facilities.  Currently, over 3 million Americans live in nursing homes.

When a loved one moves into a nursing home, we expect that the facility will provide the resident with quality care, respect, and dignity.  Unfortunately, this does not always happen.  Many of these facilities are not adequately staffed and they cannot provide the level of care that is required to meet the needs of their residents, and sometimes this lack of care may cross the lines of neglect or abuse.

Nursing home neglect and abuse include:

• Bed sores, also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers
• Unexplained broken bones, wounds, or signs of trauma
• Falls and drops
• Unexplained weight loss
• Dehydration or malnutrition
• Medication errors
• Failure to diagnose medical conditions
• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Financial exploitation, including theft, fraud, and coercion

DISTURBING STATISTICS

More than 1 out of 3 nursing homes have been cited for resident care violations. This statistic is especially disturbing when you consider the fact that nursing home care violations often go underreported. Many victims are either incapable or sometimes too frightened, to alert a family member about the abuse or neglect they are suffering from. If family members are not able to check on the resident living in the facility on a frequent basis, they may not notice or see signs of abuse or neglect.

Some of the recent and alarming statistics include:

• Nearly 1 in 10 nursing homes have had resident care violations that have caused serious harm, injury, or death to the resident
• 44% of long-term care residents state they have been abused
• 95% of long-term care residents say they had been neglected or have witnessed the neglect of other residents
• Over 50% of nursing home staff members admit to having mistreated a patient
• Up to 20% of reported falls cause serious injury, and nearly 2,000 residents die from falls each year

Aging does not diminish a person’s right to live in a safe and secure environment, especially in a nursing home or other long-term care facility. Both state and federal laws are in place to safeguard the elderly from neglect and abuse.

ALWAYS report abuse. ALWAYS get justice.

– National Center on Elder Abuse (+1-855-500-3537 (ELDR))

– National Center for Victims of Crime (+1-202-467-8700)

– National Committee on the Prevention of Elder Abuse 

– Department of Human Services, Division of Aging Services (+1-866-552-4464)

CALL OUR EXPERIENCED NURSING HOME ATTORNEYS NOW! 678-242-7626