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Nursing Home Neglect

Neglect is one of the most common forms of nursing home abuse.   Generally, understaffing at nursing homes is the main culprit behind this kind of abuse.  Evidence of nursing home neglect includes bedsores and stiff joints, as well as signs of depression.  A patient who appears over medicated or is needlessly sedated could be a victim of nursing home neglect.   The smell of urine or feces and poor personal hygiene are hallmarks of this problem.   Extreme unexplained weight loss in an otherwise healthy resident can also be a sign of abuse.  And if visitors are made to wait while the staff readies a patient to see them, - or does not allow the visit at all - neglect could be the reason.

In the most extreme cases, nursing home neglect can be deadly.  Neglected patients have been known to wander away from facilities, and sadly some of these patients have died of exposure.  Other unattended patients have been allowed to die as a result of undetected internal bleeding or other ailments that could have been corrected with proper medical care.  And in many cases, nursing home administrations will try to cover up their neglect by claiming that a patient’s death was the inevitable result of old age. Some nursing home staffs have even gone so far as to discard bloody sheets or move bodies prior to notifying families of a patient’s death  -- all in an attempt  to hide their negligence.

Nursing home neglect is as much a crime as any other form of abuse.   If someone you love has suffered from nursing home neglect, they may be entitled to compensation. Please fill out the form at the right for a free case review by a qualified attorney.