Articles Posted in Nursing Home Abuse

Although Georgia’s hot and humid summers can be miserable for anyone, the extreme temperatures can be downright deadly for seniors. Elderly adults are particularly vulnerable to heat stress injuries. Not only do older people have a more difficult time adjusting to temperature shifts, but they may also have chronic health conditions that affect the way their body reacts to heat or be taking a prescription drug that impacts temperature regulation.

As a result, the summer months can be especially dangerous for elderly residents in overcrowded and understaffed nursing homes.

Nursing home residents are susceptible to numerous heat-related injuries and illnesses, such as:

Moving a loved one into a nursing home is a difficult decision. If you have a demanding work schedule or live too far away to visit regularly, you may be especially concerned about whether your relative’s needs are being met. You might also be worried they could become a victim of nursing home abuse.

Sadly, these concerns aren’t unfounded. Studies show nursing home residents who don’t get visitors are more likely to suffer abuse or neglect, as staff members may assume that no one will notice—or challenge—their poor conduct, and seniors

may be too isolated or frightened to report their mistreatment.

Researchers from the University of South Carolina have published an in-depth report about how better training of certified nurses assistants (CNAs) could make a significant impact on reducing nursing home abuse and neglect. CNAs provide the vast majority of daily care that seniors living in residential care settings receive. CNAs provide assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, and doing other routine daily tasks. Despite the important role CNAs play in a senior’s life, they are often paid very little, have few career opportunities for advancement, and have minimal training. Most have only a high-school diploma and have completed approximately 75-hours of additional training required for certification.

When a CNA is neglectful or abusive to a senior in a nursing facility, the victim of the abuse or his or her family members may take legal action against the nursing home employing the nursing assistant. An Atlanta nursing home neglect lawyer can provide assistance in pursuing a damage claim. Nursing homes can be held responsible for negligent actions of their workers, so it is in the best interest of residential care facilities to ensure CNAs receive adequate training.

Proper CNA Training Can Reduce Risks of Atlanta Nursing Home Neglect

A scary story came out of California recently about an elderly woman who died even though a trained nurse was standing right next to her. Our Atlanta elder abuse lawyers know that Georgia’s seniors, as well as seniors across the country, are rightly concerned about this story.

The California tragedy occurred earlier this month. 87-year-old Lorraine Bayless collapsed in the dining room of her independent living facility, Glenwood Gardens, in Bakersfield, California. A nurse, an employee of Glenwood, got on the 911 phone call. The 911 operator pleaded with the nurse, named Colleen, to give Ms. Bayless CPR. Colleen told the dispatcher that company policy forbade her from performing CPR. The policy required her to wait with the hurt or sick person, but not provide any medical care. Repeatedly the dispatcher pleaded with her, and asked her to find someone else to help Ms. Bayless. The 911 call sounds horrifyingly cruel, with Colleen stating, “Not at this timein answer to the question of whether there was anyone around willing to help Ms. Bayless. At another point the dispatcher said that the lady will die, and Colleen responded “Yeah.Emergency personnel arrived seven minutes after the 911 call, but it was already too late for Ms. Bayless. The avoidable tragedy is heartbreaking, and it is understandable why Georgia seniors might be worried.

A Georgia news story on the incident points out that Georgia’s Good Samaritan law would protect people trying to help in an emergency situation from liability. This law applies as long the helper is not getting paid. But even without the Good Samaritan law, many retirement and nursing home staff were also shocked and upset by the incident in California. Greg Rowe, Director of Dougherty County EMS, said, “I’ve never gone anywhere that I can remember where they were just sitting, waiting on us to get there.And Dr. Graham Nichol, a professor of medicine at the University of Washington, noted that CPR more than doubles the chances of survival, also noting, “If liability was a concern, I would suspect there is a greater liability if someone dies.

If you are visiting a loved one or a friend in a nursing home and you notice that your relative or other seniors at the facility seem to be suffering from bedsores, this should make you concerned. While seniors who are bedridden or who are confined to a wheelchair are vulnerable to the development of bedsores, preventing these pressure ulcers is often possible with proper care. When bedsores are prevalent, severe, or infected, this is a major red flag suggesting that the nursing home staff may not be doing their job.

When you suspect Atlanta nursing home neglect for any reason, you need to get help. You should consider speaking with a nursing home neglect and abuse lawyer to understand what options you may have. The Division of Aging Services in Georgia also takes reports and may conduct an investigation if there is reason to believe a nursing home is failing its patients. Nursing home neglect can have devastating consequences for older individuals and you could protect the elderly, prevent a tragedy, and help your loved one to obtain compensation by coming forward.

Why Do Bedsores Indicate Possible Atlanta Nursing Home Neglect?

Our Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers know that unlicensed nursing care homes are a problem in our state, which is why the Georgia Department of Community Health is partnering with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to crack down on these unlicensed homes, according to news reports.

The partnership also includes the Adult Protective Services, which is under the Department of Human Services. The group will be aggressive in working to stop unlicensed homes from staying in business. Clyde Reese, the commissioner of the Department of Community Health, said the facilities deliver "substandard care to the elderly and disabled.The unlicensed homes are operating throughout Georgia, and many are near Atlanta and in southwest Georgia. Mr. Reese contends that it is a growing problem and that there are hundreds of unlicensed homes in the state, along with increased incidents of elder abuse. This is exacerbated by the vulnerable nature of seniors, who are often unable to defend themselves or even speak up about abuse. And to avoid legal troubles, unlicensed homes often switch residences.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations intends to share intelligence and data gathering with the Department.

Our Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers recently read about another horrific case of elder abuse in our state. The case at Alzheimer's Care of Commerce in Jackson County may include homicide charges, and so far the owner and 20 other employees have been charged with various offenses, according to news reports.

Between the 21 people involved, including Care of Commerce's owner Donna Wright, there are charges of more than 70 offenses involving physical cruelty, neglect, and financial exploitation of the elderly residents. They are accused of violating the Georgia Protection of Disabled Adults and Elder Persons Act. There was also an alleged violation of a state law saying convicted felons can't work at health care facilities €“ Care of Commerce apparently employed a man on parole for voluntary manslaughter, as well as others convicted of felony drug offenses and identity theft.

There were reports of employees hitting patients and throwing water on them. One alleged incident involved an employee punching a resident suffering from dementia in the face in order to force him to sit down. Other abuse alleged included tying residents up with bed sheets and putting them in two diapers at once to have to change them less often. The authorities were tipped off to this abuse by an employee who complained about this horrific treatment. On July 2, after an ongoing investigation, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation raided Care of Commerce. The GBI found three residents had been so mistreated they had to be hospitalized.

Bed rails have been a problem for years, particularly for elderly patients, and our product liability lawyers and nursing home abuse lawyers are hopeful that officials will finally pay attention.

This week, the issue was highlighted in the New York Times in an article that details the bed rail problems that have occurred across the nation for almost two decades. Bed rails are placed on hospital beds and nursing homes beds to assist patients in getting up and also to prevent them from rolling out of bed while sleeping.

Between 2003 and 2012, at least 150 elderly Americans died as a result of becoming trapped in dangerous bed rails. additionally, about 4,000 elderly people are treated each year for bed rail-related injuries.These rails are especially a problem for people suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's, as they often become confused and get caught between the mattress and the rail. These types of rails can provide necessary safety for elderly patients, as they are designed to do , but there are particular problems with older devices and also with mixing different products. If the mattress, rails, and frame all come from different manufacturers, you get dangerous gaps when things don't fit smoothly together, exacerbating the problem.