What is Meant By the Term “Abuse” as it Applies to the Nursing Home Industry?
Nursing home abuse in Florida, like elsewhere, is closing linked to staff-to-resident ratios. If you only have one aid attempting to meet the needs of sixteen residents, a nursing corporation knows well enough that that is a recipe for disaster What is elder abuse? Many people incorrectly believe or assume that the term “abuse” refers only to the physical striking or hitting of another when, in fact, the definition has a much broader meaning under Florida law.
Under the federal Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, the term “abuse” is also defined to mean the willful deprivation of care or services that the facility knows are required by the resident in order to maintain her physical and mental well-being. In other words, if a nursing home or assisted living facility knows that a resident requires a particular form of care, products, services or nutrition, but willfully withholds the necessity from the resident — whether for profit motives or otherwise — that constitutes a form of abuse.
Nursing Home Budget Cuts Hurt Patients
As nursing home corporations vie to grow and expand their operations to meet the demands of and to profit from an aging population, administrators at the local facility level are seeing their budgets cut and staffing shrinking. The impact on resident care is undeniable. Nursing home abuse and neglect frequently results in the development of pressure sores, malnutrition, dehydration, serious infections, fractured bones, bowel impactions and other unexplained injuries.
Have Questions or Suspect Nursing Home Abuse?
If you have questions about a local nursing home or wish to discuss a potential case of abuse and neglect with a Venice nursing home abuse lawyer who has evaluated hundreds of claims, please feel free to call me, James Keim, Attorney at Law at (941) 485-7600. I always provide a free consultation and personally handle every case, and you will not be passed off to some middleman or junior level associate. All cases are handled on a contingency fee and cost basis. This means that you pay no fee or costs unless we obtain a settlement, award or verdict.
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