Nursing home negligence is one of the most common forms of abuse and neglect perpetrated against adults 65 years of age and older. It’s important to spot it before it becomes a life-threatening problem and to take the necessary steps to ensure your loved one is removed from a dangerous situation if you believe negligence or abuse has already occurred.

The best-available research indicates that one in 10 persons aged 60 or older is the victim of elder abuse, but just 7 percent of all instances of elder abuse are ever reported to state or local authorities. The National Association of Nursing Home Attorneys, a group of legal professionals compiled and shared some eye-opening nursing home abuse statistics and elder abuse statistics from across the United States.

There are about 1.5 million individuals residing in nursing homes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nursing home abuse isn't as rare as some might think. According to data compiled by the National Center on Elder Abuse, about 10 percent of all nursing home residents were victims of some form of abuse in the last year.

The term "never event" was introduced into the medical vernacular nearly 20 years ago. In the time since its introduction and the first list of "never events" was introduced, the meaning has been modified and expanded, and overall public awareness has increased while fatal errors to patients have decreased.

One in every three nursing homes in the United States has been cited for abuse infractions or violations. Rectifying that negligent conduct may require legal action. Nursing home cases are complex legal matters that involve extensive legal experience and, oftentimes, intense investigation.

But how should a victim, or the family of a victim, start when looking for an experienced nursing home abuse attorney or nursing home negligence attorney in Ohio? When it comes to a nursing home abuse attorney for your case, choosing an experienced attorney to hire is like choosing any service, and a wise person conducts their research to help them make an informed decision.

Shocking headlines from Phoenix, Arizona have gained national attention by showing how serious and appalling nursing home abuse can be.  

At Hacienda Healthcare in Phoenix, a female patient in a vegetative state gave birth last month.  The patient, whose name has respectfully been withheld, has been in her comatose condition for an extended period and at no point possessed the capacity to consent to sexual contact. 

Phoenix Police investigating this sexual assault have zeroed in on the nursing home’s male staff and, hopefully, the culprit will be brought to justice.  However, following Hacienda Healthcare CEO’s resignation, questions remain regarding how long and how prevalent this type of abuse may have been at the facility.

Nursing Home Abuse in Ohio

For many families, this story has raised deeply personal questions about their own loved ones.  If nursing home abuse can happen in Arizona, it can happen elsewhere, too.  Including Ohio.

Unfortunately, nursing home abuse occurs frequently in Ohio.  Lowe Eklund Wakefield Co., LPA’s lawyers have spent years representing countless patients and families affected by nursing home abuse.  The conditions and errors that make abuse possible are, regrettably, more prevalent now than ever.

Neglect of a loved one in a nursing home facility is unacceptable.  Unfortunately, it occurs with alarming frequency in Ohio and across the country.  If your loved one has suffered because of the negligence of a nursing home facility or its staff, you need a nursing home neglect lawyer to help protect your parent or relative from further mistreatment.

What Is Nursing Home Neglect?

Any type of mistreatment of patients and residents in a nursing home facility is wrong, and may be actionable under Ohio law. Intentional abuse and malpractice in the extended care environment should be addressed with the help of an attorney.

Perhaps the most pervasive form of elder mistreatment, though, is nursing home neglect.  Neglect occurs when a facility and its staff fail to provide the reasonable level of care required to protect the health and safety of patients and residents.

Everyone agrees that instances of nursing home abuse are cause for alarm.  But most people do not understand the various types of abuse that can occur, and the shocking frequency of physical, emotional, and financial abuse that our loved ones endure. 

When families make the decision to place an elderly or special needs loved one in a nursing home facility, they expect both healthcare professionals and staff to treat their family members with respect, kindness, and dignity.  Sadly, whether because of profit-hungry policies or negligent hiring, many nursing home facilities do not take proper care of their patients.

Lowe Eklund Wakefield Co., LPA’s nursing home abuse lawyers are available now to help you and your loved ones understand your rights if you believe abuse has occurred.

Deciding to place a loved one in a nursing home facility can be difficult.  We all want the senior citizens in our lives to receive the care and attention they need.  Unfortunately, as elderly abuse and neglect continues in Ohio and nationwide, nursing home abuse lawyers are seeing many families harmed by the mistreatment of a nursing home resident.

If you or your loved one have experienced or show signs of nursing home abuse, you do not have to take on the facility alone.  Experienced nursing home abuse lawyers like those at Lowe Eklund Wakefield Co., LPA can stand up for your loved one and help your family find justice after an abusive incident.

What is nursing home abuse?

New Task Force May Help Prevent Ohio Nursing Home Injuries

Nursing home injuries, both in Cleveland and throughout Ohio, are all too common. As we have discussed in previous blog entries, a third of nursing home patients will suffer injury or death as the result of treatment or medication errors—nearly 60% of which are actually preventable errors. With risks this alarmingly high, it is imperative that families know as much as possible about a nursing home prior to putting the lives of loved ones into a facilities potentially dangerous hands.

When making the difficult decision to place a family member in a nursing home, it is comforting to believe that the facility’s personnel will give our loved ones the attention and care they deserve. But, no matter how safe or ideal an extended care facility may seem, it is important that family members of residents remember that much of what nursing home operators want you to believe is a sales pitch. By debunking a few of the most common myths about Cleveland nursing home injuries, residents and their families may be better prepared to scrutinize and follow up on nursing home injuries that may occur.  

Each year, slips, trips, and falls cause thousands of cases of injury and death.  While fall injuries can affect people of any age, perhaps no population is more at risk of serious fall injuries than our senior citizens.  One particular source of injuries—nursing home falls—leads to countless deaths, bone fractures, and other serious injuries among the elderly every single day.