Nursing Home Abuse / Neglect
Although many profit and not for profit nursing homes across the country provide exemplary care to the elderly, the neglect and abuse of certain nursing home facilities remain, at times, atrocious. On the whole, according to survey, not-for-profit nursing homes provide better care than for profit nursing homes, which are frequently not as well staffed to manage the needs of the elderly.
Various categories of nursing home abuse and neglect include:
- Physical abuse– striking, punching, slapping, scratching, kicking, burning, pushing, feeding forcibly, non-consensual sexual contact, over-medicating, under-medicating, or unnecessarily restraining a resident
- Mental abuse– threatening, embarrassing, harassing, intimidating or humiliating a resident
- Financial or material abuse– financially exploiting or using the elderly person’s finances or possessions for someone else’s benefit without his permission
- Neglect – untreated medical conditions, not caring for daily needs such as food, bathing, washing soiled clothes, changing bed clothes, providing toilet assistance, as well as abandonment, isolation, lack of assistance in walking or preventing accidents.
When nursing home abuse or neglect leads to serious injury, allegations of medical malpractice typically play a significant role in litigating the case. Our attorneys at Drew, Cooper & Anding are very experienced in negotiating and litigating Michigan’s medical malpractice statute.
Our lawyers are committed to protecting the rights of the elderly and their families. We believe that the fewer years one has left in his life, the more valuable those years become. Defendants commonly argue, either implicitly or explicitly, that because the elderly have a limited life expectancy and show no lost wages, claims for future pain and suffering are reduced, and therefore the case has little value. We disagree. We also believe that the neglect or abuse of a helpless person presents the potential for a sizeable verdict. Furthermore, our attorneys effectively contend that resolution of our nursing home cases be done at an amount reflective of that verdict potential.
