Florida Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
Nursing home abuse lawyers in Palm City know that there are many staffers at these facilities who genuinely want to do the right thing.
However, sometimes nursing home abuse and neglect in Palm City comes down to a lack of training or not having enough staff to cover all that needs to be done.
Whatever the reason, when you start really delving into the research that has so far been conducted on this societal ill, a startling picture begins to emerge.
For example, in 2008, more than 90 percent of all nursing homes had at least one deficiency. For-profit homes were more likely to have problems than other types, but in nearly 20 percent of those cases, the deficiencies reported were the kind that would cause actual harm or immediate jeopardy to patients. These were things like medication mix-ups, infected bedsores, outright abuse or neglect and poor nutrition.
That same year, inspectors received more than 37,000 complaints, with roughly 40 percent of those substantiated.
In the inspector general reported that nearly 95 percent of nursing homes that are for-profit were cited for deficiencies, compared to roughly 90 percent of non-profit homes and about the same of government homes that were cited.
There have been an astonishing 5,000 deaths since 1999 that have been directly attributable to neglect or negligence in nursing homes. These would be instances such as bedsores, starvation and dehydration.
Another statistic that may surprise you is that only 20 percent of incidents are ever reported. In a vast majority of cases, patients are either afraid to report it or don’t understand what’s happening. What’s more, less than half of all nursing home residents have a close family member or friend that they could turn to even if they were able to reveal what was happening.
When you consider also that more than 90 percent of all nursing homes employ at least one convicted felon. This has a lot to do with the fact that there is no national standard for nursing home background checks.
Then consider that you may have a single nursing aid in charge of caring for some 30 patients. That far exceeds the recommended levels, and points to the next issue: That 9 out of 10 nursing homes aren’t staffed to adequate levels. This is even considering that the average cost to stay at a private facility is expected to soar to more than $170,000 per year in the next decade.
What’s more, one quarter of all nursing homes are cited for some injury or death – each year.
Given all of this, you need an aggressive attorney who is 100 percent behind you.
If you or a loved one have suffered from nursing home abuse in Palm City, West Palm Beach or the surrounding areas, contact the Law Offices of Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez for legal assistance. 1-800-561-7777 for a free appointment to discuss your rights.
Additional Resources:
Violations Reported at 94% of Nursing Homes, By Robert Pear, The New York Times
More Blog Entries:
Broward Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Warn Against Financial Exploitation, June 16, 2012, Palm City Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys