Nursing Home Abuse

Are Our Elderly Really Being Taken Care Of?

Most of us trust nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and the healthcare professionals that run them to provide our loved ones proper care and attention once they are elderly and in need of assistance. Unfortunately there have been way too many unfortunate circumstances where the professionals who have been tasked with caring for our loved ones fail to provide the proper care or have just have been outright abusive.

As the amount of elderly people continues to climb in the United States, nursing homes are becoming busier than ever with more elderly adults entering assisted living facilities. These facilities are often under-staffed or improperly trained which can lead to elderly neglect and in the some situations nursing home abuse. In this astonishing study by the National Center for Elder Abuse it was reported that 44% of all people residing in nursing homes have said they were abused and 95% of all residents of the nursing home had said that they were neglected or have witnessed another being neglected.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

• Physical Abuse (punching, kicking, coaxing other residents to abuse each other)
• Mental Abuse (yelling, threats)
• Sexual Abuse (molestation, unwanted advances and touching)
• Starvation (withholding food and malnourishment)
• Neglect Care (lack of proper monitoring of patients resulting in physical injury or death)

Nursing Home Abuse Unheard: The Elderly Has No Voice

More often than not nursing home abuse and neglect goes unreported which remains a very serious problem in the United States. Those who suffer from nursing home abuse or neglect most often will not report the incident for fear of retaliation which could result in more serious abuse, or their physical and mental state simply does not allow them the ability to report the incident to administrators or family members. This can leave the elderly individual feeling trapped in a prison with no way out, which is a very scary and sad scenario.

The government has developed Adult Protection Services which monitors and investigates facilities where they believe that nursing home abuse may be taking place. Although this governmental organization is place, it is said that only 1 out of every 14 nursing home abuse or neglect cases ever get reported. It should be known that the nursing home business in the United States in most circumstances, is a for-profit organization with the government funding it’s operations through Medicare and Medicaid health care systems. It has been reported that many of these nursing home neglect and abuse cases go un-reported is because of how profitable this industry truly is and if one neglect or abuse case went public it would most certainly lead to an government investigation which would essentially shut down the facility.

What Can You Do?

Nursing home neglect and abuse are serious problems. At Campbell & Associates, we believe that those who have been affected by nursing home abuse or neglect need a strong and experienced law firm on their side, and we’re here to help. We have successfully represented victims of nursing home abuse and neglect ranging from sexual abuse, physical abuse and death due to neglect. Our goal in representing victims is to not only receive fair compensation for the victim or their families, but to also bring awareness to this subject which is often swept under the rug.

Our experienced injury lawyers and support staff stand ready to help every step of the way in this difficult journey. We have the knowledge and know-how to make sure that any claims of nursing home abuse or neglect are fully investigated and pursued to the full extent of the law in order to receive compensation for the victims and their family. Whether it be reviewing complex medical records, interviewing key witnesses, securing expert opinions or conducting an independent investigation, we’ve got your back.

At Campbell & Associates Attorneys at Law, we work for individuals who are injured by someone else’s negligence. In every case we take, we do not collect any attorney’s fees until we get you compensation. Please call (704) 333-0885 or send us a message now for a free consultation.

With offices in Charlotte, Gastonia, Hickory and Rock Hill, SC we’re just a short distance away, if you need us to come to you and your family, we would be willing to schedule that appointment as well.