Maryland Injury and Disability Law : Washington DC Metro Injury & Disability Lawyer & Attorney : Greenberg & Bederman : Accidents, Falls, Medical Malpractice : Maryland, DC, Virginia

Placing your loved ones in a nursing home or eldercare facility can be an incredibly difficult decision for anyone to make. Nobody relishes the idea of surrendering the care of your parents or grandparents to a third party, but there aren’t many people who can handle the normal stresses of everyday life as well as the care that an elderly or ill relative might need. The decision to place someone in a nursing home is often one that is made reluctantly.

But the unfortunate truth about nursing homes is that while the majority of them are well run and staffed with conscientious and dedicated professionals, there are still a number of them that are overcrowded and understaffed, and much of the staff that is working has little or no background in eldercare, or even medicine.

The end result of a state of affairs like this could be eldercare abuse.

Quite often, disturbing cases come to light. You read about patients in these facilities being beaten or even sexually abused. Or you read about patients dying of malnutrition or dehydration due to shameful neglect. These are not rare occurrences, and in fact they happen with shocking regularity.

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Maryland Nursing Home Abuse

Choosing to put a loved one in a nursing home, or an assisted living facility is never an easy decision. However, this transition can be less painful if you are confident that the nursing home you and your loved one choose will provide an excellent standard of care. In a previous article I discussed how video technology is beginning to gain popularity as a method to monitor occurrences in nursing homes to prevent and stop abuse. However, preventative measures such as thorough research, may be the best way to prevent you or your loved one from receiving substandard care, or becoming the victim of abuse.

There are many quality nursing homes in Maryland; however, there are also many nursing homes who provide substandard care. Earlier this year Governor O’Malley announced that the Rosewood Center will be closing due to chronic incidents of abuse. The conditions at the Rosewood Center have become so poor that it became at risk of loosing federal funding. Over a period of only eight weeks, the Office of Health Care Quality reported 130 cases of injuries from abuse and neglect. The shortage of funding, and the screening and monitoring of nursing home staff members are often some of the root causes of abuse at such facilities.

It is recommended that you thoroughly research the nursing home you are considering before you make a decision. There are numerous resources on the internet that you can utilize in your research. The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General attorney general has a great website listing important consideration for you to keep in mind when choosing a nursing home, and what to look for, and specific questions to ask when visiting the nursing homes you are considering. The Maryland Health Care Commission md healthcare comm also has a helpful guide to assist you in the process of choosing a nursing home. Although many of the links on this website are outdated, the Assisted Living Facility Survey Reports feature allows you to look up a nursing home of your choice and view its performance on the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s, Office of Health Care and Quality’s survey. quality survey These surveys assess compliance with health and safety regulations and are generally conducted on an annual basis. Another valuable resource for research on nursing homes or other medical care is the Maryland Judiciary Case Search case search judiciary case search. This online tool allows you to look up all of the cases which a company or an individual has been involved.

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Nursing Home Abuse – Are Surveillance Cameras the Answer?

As our elderly loved ones age, it becomes an increasing priority to care for them and their health. If affordable, nursing home care can be an option to care for our elders. In fact, an article in the Elder Law Journal states that approximately half of Americans over age 65 will be admitted to a nursing home in their lifetime, and projects such numbers to increase in the future. Although we would much rather be by our loved one’s side caring for them, often this is not a possibility. Paying someone else to care for them on a full- time basis should be the next best thing.

Although many nursing homes provide exceptional care for residents, sometimes the staff members allow patient’s needs to suffer. This is a problem affecting many nursing homes throughout the country. There is a wide range of estimates regarding instances of neglect and deficiency in such homes. An estimate at the low end of the scale finds that approximately 30% of the nursing homes nationwide have such severe deficiencies to warrant the implementation of sanctions. Additionally, a study by the Florida Agency of Health Care Administration has reported that about one out of 20 nursing home patients will experience some sort of abuse while in the facility.

In New York, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has decided to use hidden cameras (often dubbed “granny cams”) in nursing homes to help reduce the incidences of such abuse, and aid in prosecution when it does occur. The way this procedure works in New York is that the hidden cameras are placed in the rooms of residents with the knowledge and permission of the residents and their families. The nursing home staff, however, will remain uninformed. The video cameras have the additional capability to be monitored in real time. The reasoning for not telling the nursing home staff is that the nursing home abuse will not be captured if the staff knows they are being watched. This camera monitoring system has already proven useful, and has been used by the attorney general’s office in the prosecution of four cases, which resulted in 26 convictions.
 

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