Maryland Nursing Home Abuse Part II

Posted on December 3, 2008 by Paula Strand

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 Although many of the links on this website are outdated, the Assisted Living Facility Survey Reports feature allows you to look up a nursing home of your choice and view its performance on the Department of Health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.

 

Even though the potential for abuse in a nursing home is an important concern, all nursing homes are not plagued by abuse. Additionally, many companies and people are taking a progressive approach to the construction of nursing homes, and developing new ideas to make the facilities more livable for patients. Many doctors are beginning to recognize that the current approach to the care of elderly and disabled individuals is not working as well as it should, and that it is time to explore other options. One of the major tenets of this rethinking of elderly care is to put a bigger focus on the social and relational aspects of the lives of senior citizens. Such progressive thinking is beginning to have an influence in Maryland. Life-Bridge Health is considering plans for a nursing home in Northwest Baltimore. The Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital may be expanded, and with this expansion, there will also be more of a focus on the patients in the nursing home. The current idea for the expansion is to promote social relationships among the residents to give a more ‘homey’ feel. The expansion will have three floors, with two ‘households’ per floor. A ‘household’ is a cluster of about 14 patient rooms (each complete with bedroom and bathroom) which circle around a living room, den, and kitchen area. The idea is to foster relationship between the residents in each ‘household’ with the goal of the nursing home turning into a more livable place. Yet another goal behind the implementation of a more social nursing home design is to help foster healthy relationships with the staff. For example, out of the nursing homes that have implemented more socially focused plans, 60% have found a decrease in behavioral incidents, there has been a 57% decrease in Stage I and Stage II pressure sores, 25% decrease in bedfast residents, and 48% decrease in absentee staff.

It is also important that you recognize the potential signs of abuse when you see them. If you notice any of the following symptoms, your loved one may be a victim of abuse or neglect; dehydration, bedsores, sudden changes in finances or abrupt changes to a will. Remember that you can take action to stop the mistreatment your loved one is experiencing. In Maryland, plaintiffs in nursing home mistreatment cases have over a 50% chance of recovering, and the median verdict of approximately $200,000. The average recovery amount in Washington, D.C. is over $700,000.

If you think that you or a family member has been a victim of nursing home abuse please contact Greenberg & Bederman for a legal consultation.
 

TO learn more about Maryland Nursing Home Abuse, please visit at website at md nursing home abuse.  To learn more abour our medical malpractice attorney, John Sellinger, please go to about our firm, and click on John Sellinger's Bio.
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