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Did you know that a recent study found that more than 40 percent of nursing home residents report incidents of abuse and nearly 95 percent have witnessed neglect in such facilities? Over the last few decades, nursing homes and extended care facilities have become more driven by profit than ever before. As the industry becomes increasingly corporate, the focus in many nursing homes and assisted living centers has shifted from quality patient care toward cutting costs and reducing expenses. In many facilities, this means fewer and lower-paid staff members who are not qualified to provide the care that patients deserve. As a result, more patients than ever are forced to suffer from:
Lack of supervision. Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. Wrongful or untimely death. Many nursing home residents have moderate to severe health concerns, which means that an incident that might seem minor to a healthy person could have serious implications for someone whose health is already compromised.
Call 630-233-9946 for a free, confidential consultation and care review with an experienced injury attorney at our firm. Kaiser Hafezi Law serves injured nursing home residents and their families in Bensenville, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Addison, Melrose Park, Itasca, Niles, Des Plaines, Franklin Park, Northlake, Park Ridge, DuPage County, Cook County, and the neighboring communities.
The decision to place an elderly or ill family member in a nursing home or assisted living facility is one that is extremely serious and intensely personal. Caregivers and loved ones may spend months visiting and comparing different centers and selecting the one that best suits the needs of the person needing care. If this describes your family, you reasonably expect that your loved one will be treated with dignity, respect , and quality care from qualified, trained staff members. Unfortunately, the reality for many nursing home patients does not always match their expectations.
The team at Kaiser Hafezi Law understands how upsetting it is to discover that your elderly loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home. We also know the lengths to which some facilities will go to prevent you from finding out exactly what happened. They may place their reputation and bottom line over the health and quality of life of your loved one, and our attorneys believe that this is unacceptable.
When we place our elderly and vulnerable loved ones in the hands of others, we expect that they will be well cared for. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.
When most people hear the word “abuse,” physical abuse immediately comes to mind. While this certainly falls into the abuse category, elder abuse can take on many forms, some physical and some that are due purely to neglect or inattention.
Residents of nursing facilities are vulnerable and have special needs. Unfortunately, negligence sometimes leads to tragic fatalities. If you have lost a loved one due to irresponsible care, I can help you file a wrongful death claim. I understand that no amount of compensation will fill the void left by the loss of a loved one.
According to a number of recent studies, abuse is an issue in one in three nursing homes nationwide. Equally disturbing is a report from the National Center on Elder Abuse which indicates that over half of nursing home staff members have actually admitted to mistreating residents—including a staggering 17 percent who admitted to shoving, pushing, or grabbing patients. Even worse, these are the reported numbers, which means the actual figures on nursing home physical abuse are likely to be even higher, as many incidents are never reported.
In an ideal world, a nursing home would be a place where elderly individuals or those with health concerns can live out their golden years while receiving care with dignity and respect. Sadly, we do not live in an ideal world, and thousands of nursing home residents per year are made to suffer abuse at the hands of the very individuals who are supposed to be caring for them. Nursing home abuse can take many forms, including physical abuse perpetrated by staff members.