Flemington Attorney — Neglect in Nursing Homes
Nursing Home Injuries Caused by Neglect and Abuse
Our population is aging. Presently, more than 1.5 million people live in nursing homes. Although many nursing homes provide good care, others subject helpless residents to needless suffering and even death. Often times, nursing homes are inadequately staffed and the employees are poorly trained. This may lead to a very painful existence for residents, because they depend on the staff for the basic essentials of life, such as food, water, medicine, toileting, grooming, stimulation, and turning.
When a nursing home fails to provide the treatment, care, goods, or services necessary to preserve a resident's health, safety, or welfare, and the resident suffers injury, the facility must be held responsible. Respected Flemington nursing home abuse attorney Anthony J. Murgatroyd and the legal team at our law office have more than 20 years of experience, including more than a decade of experience helping the victims of neglect in nursing homes. Our staff includes a former Director of Rehabilitation from a major New Jersey hospital.
Protecting Your Loved One After Nursing Home Negligence
Did the nursing home fail to provide adequate food, water, supervision, medical care, or medication? Did it fail to assist your relative with personal hygiene or fail to provide adequate treatment/services for incontinence? Were there serious medication errors? Is your loved one suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, pressure sores, bruises, or another serious problem that indicates he or she is the victim of nursing home neglect or abuse?
Your elderly family member has a right to safe, clean, and decent living conditions. If he or she is the victim of elder abuse or nursing home neglect, do not hesitate to contact our law firm.
Nursing Home Compliance With Federal and State Regulations
In order to receive federal funds through Medicare or Medicaid, nursing homes must comply with federal laws that require them to provide a high quality of care. Some of the regulations nursing homes must follow involve:
- Assessment and care plans: Nursing homes must assess the patient's functional capacity no more than 14 days after admission and no less than once every 12 months thereafter. They must develop a care plan within seven days of the functional capacity assessment. The care plan includes measurable objectives and timetables to meet the patient's medical, nursing, mental, and psychosocial needs.
- Basic life functions: Nursing homes must take reasonable steps to prevent the deterioration of the patient's ability to perform basic life functions, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, and communicating. If a patient is unable to perform basic life functions, the nursing home must provide the necessary services to provide good nutrition, grooming, and personal and oral hygiene. They must also ensure that patients receive proper treatment and assistive devices to maintain good vision and hearing.
- Pressure sores: Nursing homes must prevent pressure sores from developing. If pressure sores already exist, the nursing home must provide the necessary treatment to promote healing, prevention of infection, and prevention of future sores.
- Incontinence: Nursing homes must provide appropriate treatment for incontinent patients in order to restore as much normal bladder function as possible and prevent bladder infections.
- Medical care: Nursing homes must ensure that patients are free of significant medication errors. They must also provide supervised medical care for each patient by a physician, sufficient staffing of nurses, 24-hour physician services in case of an emergency, and pharmaceutical services.
When nursing homes and other long-term care facilities do not follow regulations, they not only break the law — they damage innocent lives.
Stop the Abuse. Prevent Future Negligence. Call Us Today.
If you or someone you care about has been the unfortunate victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact our law firm for a free consultation with an experienced nursing home neglect lawyer in Flemington, New Jersey. We also have offices in Alpha and Bound brook.
