Types of Abuse and Neglect in Clinton Nursing Homes
Federal regulations apply to all nursing homes that accept Medicare and Medicaid funding – a group that includes most facilities in Clinton and throughout the country. Those regulations require that nursing homes assess a resident, develop a written plan of care and, ultimately, provide care and services that will allow the resident to “attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental and psychosocial well-being.” When a nursing home fails to meet that standard, residents can suffer serious harm.
Over the years, our law firm has observed numerous cases of neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and financial exploitation of nursing home residents in South Carolina. Mistreatment occurs when:
- A staff member intentionally beats a resident or uses physical or chemical restraints to keep a resident “under control.”
- One resident attacks a fellow resident due to the staff’s lack of monitoring and supervision or inadequate security measures.
- A resident experiences emotional trauma due to threats, insults, taunting, harassment, intimidation, isolation and other forms of verbal and non-verbal abuse by staff members or other residents.
- The nursing home staff neglects to meet a resident’s basic hygiene and dietary needs. As a result, the resident suffers pressure sores (or “bed sores”), infection, dehydration, malnourishment or other serious health problems.
- The facility’s operators fail to properly supervise residents, exposing them to the risk of falls, wandering, elopement and other incidents.
- Staff members fail to give a resident the right medication or administer an incorrect dosage of medication, or staff members steal medication such as painkillers for their own use or sale.
- Residents or staff members steal items from a resident such as money, jewelry or electronics, or they unlawfully access the resident’s credit or bank accounts.
Our legal team at Joye Law Firm knows how frightening it can be when you realize that your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home. When you contact us, we will immediately achieve safety and security for your loved one. We will also begin the process of seeking compensation that fairly and fully addresses the harm that your loved one has suffered.
How Prevalent is Nursing Home Abuse?
The statistics available on nursing home abuse are simply staggering. According to data from the National Center on Elder Abuse:
- One in ten older Americans studied said they were victims of abuse that was not financial in nature;
- Seven percent of complaints to long term care Ombudsmen throughout the United States relate to abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation;
- A 2000 study of nursing home residents found that 44 percent reported they had been the victims of abuse or neglect. An astonishing 95 percent of the same participants reported they had witnessed another nursing home resident being abused, neglected, or exploited.
It is widely accepted that the true nature and extent of elder abuse is under-reported. When it is reported and acted upon, though, victims and their families can often obtain the resources they need to address any harm caused and to move the victim into a different, safer facility.
