Nursing Home Neglect

Baltimore, Maryland

You hope that your loved one will receive the level of care from a nursing home that you would give them if only you had the time to give it.  When you first make the difficult decision to turn over your loved one's care to a nursing home, you did so believing promises about the quality of care the home would provide. Unfortunately, though, many nursing homes neglect their tenants, and this neglect can be dangerous.

If you know or suspect your loved one was a victim of negligent care in Baltimore, Maryland, act quickly to preserve his or her health and rights. Bring in an independent physician and consider moving your loved one to a new facility. Then schedule a free consultation with the lawyers at The Yost Legal Group to learn more about your legal options.

The Roots of Nursing Home Neglect

Most nursing homes are for-profit businesses that always keep an eye on the bottom line. In some cases, this has increased in recent years when nursing homes were being bought up by investment firms hoping to turn a hefty profit. Two strategies for increasing the profitability of nursing homes are: increase fees by adding extra residents, and reduce personnel cost by hiring fewer and less qualified employees. Both these practices cause the staff of nursing homes to be stretched thin, and less qualified employees are often less committed employees, who sometimes willfully neglect residents' care.

Signs of Nursing Home Neglect

Although you often cannot save your loved ones from the effects of nursing home neglect, you can protect them from more serious injury by looking out for signs of the most common forms of neglect.

Dehydration or malnutrition can often be identified by your relative's level of thirst or hunger during visits. Pay attention to chronic low energy. Loss of weight can be identified by sunken eyes, sunken cheeks, and clothes that no longer fit. Also look for pale, brittle, or thin skin. Make sure the nursing home has a certified nutritionist on staff, as this is one of the first positions cut.

Bed sores can be identified in their early stages as areas of discolored skin that do not lighten when touched. At later stages, they can be large blisters, bloody wounds, black dead tissue, or even exposed bones.

Falls are the leading cause of spinal cord injury among persons aged 65 and older. To prevent falls in a nursing home, the hallways and rooms should be equipped with handholds, and personnel should help residents with limited mobility. Watch how your loved one and other residents are guided through the halls.

It is also important that you pay attention to the cleanliness of the nursing home, and ensure that adequate measures are taken to prevent dangerous wandering. Being vigilant may save your loved one from serious injury.

Our Social Responsibility

As a society, we have a responsibility to provide the best possible care for those who depend on us, especially children and the elderly. If your loved one is suffering from nursing home abuse and neglect, chances are he or she is not alone. Taking legal action is a way to expose conditions at a dangerous nursing home, and it serves to protect not just your loved one, but every resident. Even after you have moved your loved one to the safety of a better facility, we urge you to consider a lawsuit, not just for compensation for your loved one's injuries, but to compel better care at the nursing home.

The Baltimore, Maryland personal injury lawyers of The Yost Legal Group combine expertise comparable to much larger firms with the personal care of a smaller home-town firm. We want to protect elders in our community from the injuries of nursing home neglect. Please contact us today to learn how we can help.