Four employees at the Lincoln Residential Center in Brookhaven Mississippi, actually conspired to have one of the residents of the facility beaten by another resident . The “muscle-for-hire” was led to the room of the victim where the assault proceeded. After the attack, the assailant was led back to his or her (police are releasing no details of the attacker) room by one of the defendants. According to reports, the victim wasn’t seriously hurt in the assault. I suppose that speaks to the humanity of the other nursing home resident. It certainly merits no considerations for the defendants.It’s astonishing that four people, in one place, at one time, felt that this was a good idea. They were all CNAs (Certified Nurse’s Assistants) trained to manage elderly and disabled people in exactly the sort of setting they were in.
So, what went wrong? |It’s a hard question to answer.
Often, cases of nursing home neglect boil down to one factor: time In homes that are operated by for-profit companies (as most are) the bottom line is simple. Because Medicare and Medicaid pay fixed rates for nursing home care, the only way to increase profits is to provide less care and services. It’s a roadmap to neglect that, unfortunately, is often followed.In these cases, the quiet residents who can’t communicate are frequently neglected by a staff that has become used to only providing care to the residents who are likely to cause turmoil. It’s a strategy that leads to bedsores, dehydration, medication errors, and wrongful death.The reasons behind this assault are anyone’s guess, but it does serve as a warning to anyone with a loved one in a nursing home
- Anytime you see a change in behavior, ask that it be documented and document it yourself.
- Anytime you see any kind of injury, document it and inquire how the incident occurred and what plans have been put into place to ensure it never happens again.
- If you hear about a physical altercation or assault of any kind, speak to as many nursing home representatives as you can
This isn’t anything extraordinary. It’s the minimum standard of care for a nursing home.
The only way to improve care in America’s nursing homes is to hold nursing homes accountable for their actions and the actions of their staff.If you have a loved one that you suspect may have been the victim of assault or neglect in an Illinois nursing home, contact my law offices for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
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