Nursing Home Neglect and How A Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Although it may be an unthinkable act, any old aged pensioner who is placed into nursing home care or sheltered accommodation could well be under threat from nursing home neglect. For a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, this is one of the saddest types of cases that they will have to deal with and unfortunately it is on the increase.
The increase in neglect ties in with the fact that in the twenty first century people are now living longer. In fact there are an estimated 30 million people aged 65 and over living in the US and by the year 2030 that figure is said to increase to over 70 million. This means that more and more people are going to eventually reach an age where they can no longer safely care for themselves and this means them being placed into nursing homes and sheltered accommodation. Unfortunately there simply aren't enough care homes being built to cope with the dramatic rise in the elderly population, and what's even more worrying, is that there also aren't enough trained staff placed within the nursing home system to care for the people.
So what is classed as nursing home neglect? An LA personal injury lawyer explains:
In a nutshell nursing home or care home neglect is the failure to take adequate care of any resident that in doing so would otherwise prevent any illness, physical harm and emotional stress to that person. This can take many forms as follows...
-Failure to provide timely/proper medicine when needed
-Failure to provide timely/proper treatment for any injuries sustained whilst in care
-Failure to provide regular meals
-Failing to wash and bathe the elderly person
-Alienating them by shutting the person in their room for long periods of time or ignoring them.
All of these things can be classed as nursing home neglect and there are a number of factors which could lead to this happening. Here are a few examples:
Insufficient staffing levels
It is fair to say that a good majority of nursing homes are understaffed, and as a result the residents may not get the care and attention that they deserve. A person may well get forgotten about whilst a member of staff is dealing with other issues. The staff may simply not have to time provide regular washing and bathing and as a result may cut corners.
Badly trained or untrained personnel
It is often the case that staff do not always receive the training that they should or that the training they do receive is minimal. This can lead to mistreatment of the elderly person simply because the carer in question doesn't know exactly what to do. It could be that they are not being told how to bathe a person properly and as a result this can lead to infections and sores due to bad hygiene.
High levels of stress
A Los Angeles personal injury attorney explains that when nursing homes are so short staffed and under trained, this then piles more pressure on the staff who work in them. It is very easy for a member of staff who is under pressure to do their job, to shout and yell at a patient because they are being difficult. Sometimes they may even lash out physically. This is in no way condoning the act, but it is easy to see why it can happen.
So what should you do if you suspect nursing home neglect?
The very first thing that you should do is to make a call to the nearest Department of Health and Human Services. They have centers all over the country and are designed to deal with this type of thing. Their first reaction will be to remove the individual from the danger by taking them out of the nursing home. If you haven't got a place where they could stay, then they will find somewhere that is safe.
After the patient has been safely removed from harm it is advisable that you should call an experienced Los Angeles injury lawyer who has a proven track record in dealing with such issues. They should have the financial backing to be able to call upon a whole host of independent professionals who can help to examine the case. From their findings, your representing attorney can look to apportion blame and from this can build a case against the defendant.
This is a problem that is set to rise unless we have the funding in place to prevent it from happening. If you have been a victim of nursing home neglect yourself, or you know someone who has, then a skilled Los Angeles personal injury lawyer is standing by to help.
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