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Segment: Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

This is an excerpt from one of the recent episodes of 'Do I Need a Lawyer?' hosted by: Gary Martin Hays.

In this segment, we are going to talk about Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect.

"Hi Gary. My Dad is in a nursing home.
I'm very concerned about him because he recently had to be
taken to the emergency room by ambulance.
He was severely dehydrated.
He also had horrible bed sores on his back
because they were not helping him turn in bed.
Do I need a lawyer?"

This is a very important topic for our viewers as so many of us have aging parents, aunts or uncles that may need to start considering the options of nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

It's also important to me as my mom is now in an assisted living facility.

Let me give you some alarming statistics:

The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that 1.5 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured or abused by someone on whom they depended for care or protection.

2/3 of those one million nursing home residents that are abused or neglected are women.

Only 1 in 14 of those incidences of abuse or neglect are ever reported to authorities

In 1999, nursing home statistics regarding the cause of patient death found that almost 5000 death certificates listed starvation, dehydration, or bedsores as a cause of death.

In 2001, 1 out of 4 nursing homes was cited for causing death or serious injury to a resident.

What types of abuse and neglect can happen at these facilities?

I'll break this down into two categories: Neglect and Abuse.

(1) Neglect:

This can include lack of care for existing medical problems or lack of attention to the needs of the patient.
The patient may have:

* Bed Sores: also known often as "pressure sores or ulcers".
* Skin rash
* Infections
* Dehydration
* Skin Tears
* Significant Weight Loss
* Depression or isolation
* Wandering around outside of the facility

How can this happen? You would think the facilities would do all they can to prevent this kind of neglect from happening.
It often times comes down to the root of all evil - Money.
These facilities are understaffed or the people that are hired to work there are not properly trained and supervised because the facility is cutting costs to save money - at the expense of the patient.

* According to a report by the US Dept. Of Health and Human Services, 90% of U.S. nursing homes are staffed at levels too low to provide adequate care. (90%)
* The Milbank Quarterly, a health policy journal, states that "African Americans are 4 times as likely as white Americans to reside in understaffed and poorly funded nursing homes that offer substandard care."
And this lack of training can lead to other problems - especially when it comes to providing the proper medications.

* According to a report published in the American Journal of Medicine, a study by the University of Massachusetts Medical School found that nursing home residents in the US suffer 1.9 million adverse drug effects each year.
* 86,000 of these are FATAL or Life-Threatening.
* 70% were preventable!
Now let's talk about abuse.

(2) ABUSE:
When someone intentionally does something or intentionally does not do something knowing that the patient will be effected in some way.

Signs could include:
Bruises, open wounds or welts
Fear or Anxiety
Unexplained refusal or inability to communicate
Disorientation
Presence of unjustifiable physical restraint
Prolonged or continual deprivation of food or water
Elder reports of being slapped, pushed or shaken
Injuries requiring emergency treatment or hospitalization

If you have a family member or friend that is the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, I encourage you to speak with an attorney about the potential claim.
Remember - the choice is certainly yours on whether or not you hire an attorney. You only have one shot at justice to recover all the cash and benefits to which you are entitled.
You have absolutely nothing to lose by calling a lawyer, but think of all you can lose if you don't!
If you would like to speak with my law firm about your claim, we make it easy for you.

Just pick up the phone right now and give us a call at (770) 934-8000.
Our intake specialists are standing by right now to speak with you.
The consultation is FREE and completely confidential.
And I encourage you - if you don't call us, please call someone to help you with your claim.
You owe it to yourself - to your family - to get the help you need.
So give us a call right now. (770) 934-8000.
And stay tuned for more of "Do I Need A Lawyer"