Modern medicine and medical technologies have increased our life spans and by doing so have guaranteed most of us will spend a portion of our lives in a long-term care home or nursing home facility.
If you doubt the precipitous increase of the numbers of senior Americans in nursing homes and long term care facilities, then do some homework on the Internet. You will find that there is a staggering number (over 1.6 million) seniors being cared for every year in the U.S. In addition to that, close to one quarter of the total U.S. population will be checked into one of these facilities.
Now you’d think that because this is a rapidly growing area which has the advantages of the latest in medical technologies and medicines, that residents would be treated with genuine care, respect and dignity. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case, and in fact there are many instances of nursing home abuse and negligence uncovered every day. This is an outrage perpetrated on some of the most vulnerable citizens in the nation and there is absolutely no excuse for it.
Nursing home abuse has become so prevalent that the federal government even did studies dealing with the quality of care for the elderly in these institutions. The results were dismal, to say the least. Did you know that roughly 30% of all nursing home and long-term care facilities are guilty of some form of nursing home malpractice? The areas of malpractice include mental, physical and psychological harm.
The most common forms of abuse range from emotional abuse to dehydration/malnutrition and from medication errors to untreated pain. Untreated pain is one of the highest rated areas of abuse in most nursing homes meaning that close to 50% of all patients in such homes are not being given adequate or any meds for pain. If you were in that kind of a situation at home, would you stand for it? Of course you wouldn’t and neither should our seniors who have no voice of their own when they are in circumstances like this.
If you suspect nursing home abuse involving your loved ones, then immediately contact a qualified nursing home abuse attorney. It’s up to you to stop the cycle of abuse and find justice for your loved ones.
Michael G. Smith is a Little Rock injury lawyer and Little Rock accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Little Rock Arkansas. To learn more about Little Rock injury lawyer, Little Rock accident lawyer, Little Rock person injury lawyer, Little Rock malpractice lawyer, Little Rock injury attorney, Little Rock wrongful death attorney visit Arkansaslawhelp.com.
