Assisted living facilities and nursing homes provide elderly family members with appropriate medical care as well as assistance with daily tasks. When Tennessee residents make the difficult decision to place a family member in a nursing home or long-term care facility, they trust that their loved one will be taken care of. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for residents to be neglected by staff members at many of these facilities.
Claims of nursing home abuse
According to investigations, a nursing home facility in another state has had at least three recent incidents of abuse and neglect. Reportedly, one man who was injured in a wreck was transferred to the facility after spending eight months in a hospital. The man claimed he experienced several instances of abuse and neglect at the nursing home.
He says he was verbally abused on several occasions and was left sitting in urine and feces for seven to eight hours. The investigation noted that one patient reported facial bruising while another patient suffered a broken shoulder as attendants attempted to move the patient from a bed. Reports also said a patient at the facility claimed to have been raped.
Help for victims and families
According to recent findings by the World Health Organization, about one in six adults over the age of 60 have experienced some kind of abuse in a long-term care or nursing facility. In Tennessee, families whose loved ones have experienced nursing home abuse or neglect can get help by meeting with an experienced and knowledgeable attorney. Damages from a successful lawsuit could help victims and families pay medical expenses and ease their pain and suffering.