As our loved ones age, we must make the tough decision to place them under the care of a nursing home or not. Assisted living and other similar facilities are in place as a supposed trusted place where we can send our parents or other family members who we can no longer offer adequate care for. Unfortunately, it is an all-too common occurrence that the nursing home does not provide proper care and, in some serious cases, is even the source of abuse. We have had many clients describe poor nursing home conditions that a loved one had to endure before they were alerted and moved them to a safer facility. What most people do not realize is that there are mandatory laws in place that dictate nursing home responsibilities. When they do not meet these standards, those in charge can be prosecuted.
Rockwall Resident Found Dead Steps From Facility
Take, for example, the recent story of the Rockwall Nursing Center resident who was found dead on the morning of March 9th. The man, Roy Lee Jackson, reportedly walked two blocks from where the nursing home sits into the woods, which is where the search team found his body just 6 hours after he went missing. His entire journey from the nursing home to the woods would have taken him less than four minutes.
Rockwall is now conducting an internal investigation, but this entire case is reason for concern that begs the question: how safe are nursing homes? Local news channel CBS 11 found numerous problems with the nursing home facility after doing a little research of their own. For starters, Medicare rates the facility one out of five stars, which is “much below average”. They have been cited for 30 violations of federal and state codes in recent years and the case of Mr. Jackson was not the first time a resident has gone missing from the facility.
Know the Regulations
All this boils down to the fact that it is imperative for those charged with finding a nursing home for their loved one to do their research before moving forward. Simply visiting the facility is not enough, as looks can be deceiving. The Medicare website is a wonderful resource that allows you to check out how Medicare ranks facilities as well as view health inspection reports and lists of complaints and inadequacies.
Some of the responsibilities of nursing homes put in place by the federal government include the following:
- Admitting only the number of residents it can safely and adequately provide care for
- Ensuring no resident is subjected to physical restraints or abuse
- Protecting residents from themselves and others
- Ensuring residents receive proper treatment and assistive devices
- Preventing residents from developing pressure sores
- Promoting every resident’s quality of life
If your loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact Wormington & Bollinger today. Our knowledgeable attorneys will go over your case with you and determine whether or not you have the right to pursue legal action against the nursing home administrators, staff, or other responsible parties.