Knowing that we live longer now thanks to the marvels of modern science, we should be made aware that if we do go into a nursing home, there may be problems.
It’s a well-known fact that we are now living longer lives. In fact there are now at least 1.7 million Americans in long-term care. In some cases, this is a real joy and a much-appreciated event. In others, especially if we or a loved one is placed into a long-term care home or nursing home, this is not always the experience that we anticipated it to be.
To say that nursing homes and long-term care facilities experienced an enormous boom in business is a serious understatement. Think about this as well when the future of our lives is being contemplated. “Virtually one quarter of the population today, and that may include those who are reading this release, may need to receive long-term care in a facility,” said Arkansas super lawyer Michael G. Smith of Little Rock.
Just because medical science has advanced and allows us to live longer does not mean that nursing homes and long-term care facilities have kept pace with the prevailing opinion on how people, particularly our elders, should be treated. One would think with the advent of more nursing homes being built that the new facilities would be a significant step up in care for our seniors. Such is not always the case. “Nursing home abuse and negligence is far more prevalent than we would like to believe,” added Smith.
“The most disturbing thing about this type of abuse is that while the government is aware of it, thanks to studies they have conducted in this area, nothing much seems to be done to resolve the issue. This state of affairs is not only shocking; it is discouraging, because our seniors should be treated with dignity and respect,” added Smith.
Those federal government studies actually came to the conclusion that roughly 30% of all nursing home facilities perpetrate some from of medical malpractice and that includes mental and physical abuse and other forms of psychological harm. “Cited in those studies were the most common forms of abuse. Some of them were patient dehydration, malnutrition, infections left untreated, pressure sores, bedsores, medication errors, slip and fall accidents, and untreated pain,” explained Arkansas super lawyer Michael G. Smith of Little Rock.
If a loved one is being mistreated while in care, it needs to be reported immediately to the administrator. File a complaint with the department in your state that regulates nursing homes and immediately call a qualified nursing home abuse attorney.
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