Nursing home abuse and neglect are among the worst things that can happen to a vulnerable loved one. You entrust their care to those who should know how to protect them, yet this is so often not the case.
If your loved one is hurt at a nursing home, it is your right to pursue answers. You deserve to know who harmed them and how. You deserve to know why they were left sitting so long that they developed a bed sore or why they were delirious from infection but no one had noticed.
Getting older takes its toll on people's bodies and minds. Everything from the strength of the skeletal system to the flexibility of the joints declines as people age. Older adults have a harder time moving around and are more at risk for serious injuries to their bones and connective tissues.
Cognitive function, ranging from executive functioning abilities to memory, also begin to decline in later decades of life. The combination of more difficulty interpreting information and decreased agility often lends itself to the increased risk of falls in older adults, which are a leading cause of injury and death.
Teachers have a difficult job. They're exposed to hazards every day, including disgruntled students and parents in some instances.
In this case, a teacher's workers' compensation claim was denied in Illinois, even though he was attacked by an intruder in his classroom. The reason for the denial was that the incident "didn't happen in the course of his work," but he and students claim that he was in the classroom at the time and had to step between the intruder and five students to protect them.
You placed a loved one in a nursing home after debating for a period of time over the kind of facility you wanted for them. You settled on one with around-the-clock care, a cafeteria that would serve them at any time if they missed a meal, a low patient-to-staff ratio, and that seemed warm and inviting when you went there.
That was before. Now, several months later, you've noticed some changes. The once-smiling nursing staff looks exhausted. You've noticed that some familiar faces have gone missing, and there are more residents sitting in hallways and rooms with little or no interaction with the staff. After asking about the situation, one nurse said that there had been some staff members let go, and they were going through hiring to get more in soon.
Nursing homes have an obligation to protect the patients who live there. Their patients are often among the most vulnerable, made up of the elderly and disabled.
Among the abuses that the elderly may face is financial abuse. This kind of abuse isn't always as obvious as other types, especially if the family members of the elder aren't yet in control of their finances.
In a recent study, it was found that Illinois' workers' compensation claims are higher than in most other states. A May 20 news report describes the reasoning behind Illinois having some of the highest workers' compensation costs in the United States: The state has one of the highest legal-medical expenses for each claim and the highest number of claims leading to medical and legal expenses.
The study also looked into things such as the value of benefits paid by the workers' compensation insurance. Illinois' weekly benefit was higher than other states, and it was over 133% of the statewide weekly wage. That's around 33% higher than in other states.
If you place a loved one in a nursing home, you may not understand how neglect could ever be a problem. With several staff members, at least one or two people would have time to care for your loved one, surely. Unfortunately, that's not always the case, particularly in situations where an elder is difficult to handle.
Neglect at nursing homes can lead to deaths and serious injuries, yet many are understaffed. It's common knowledge that many corporate nursing homes face chronic shortages of staff, which means that the residents in those facilities have a higher risk of suffering from injuries or worse.
Choosing to place a loved one in a nursing home facility isn't easy, but it often becomes necessary as your loved ones age. Unfortunately, moving a loved one into a nursing home facility means that unrelated individuals will provide the majority of care that they receive for the rest of their life. Those individuals may not receive very good wages or have the best interest of your loved one at heart.
Educating yourself about some of the signs of potential abuse or neglect could help you keep your loved one safe during their stay in a nursing home or assisted living facility.
For a long time, people considered drunk driving the scourge of the roads. Intoxicated drivers can and do cause crashes that severely injure or even kill themselves, the passengers in their vehicle and other people on the road. Drunk driving will likely always be a danger, but it is no longer the only serious driving risk you have to worry about.
While you should certainly remain vigilant in watching for swerving or erratic driving that indicates impairment, you should also be on the lookout for anyone driving while distracted. Certain kinds of distraction, such as daydreaming or fantasizing, aren't easy to detect. They would be even harder to prove in court.
There's nothing that derails your life more significantly than suddenly having to deal with a personal injury. Whether it's an accident injury that required surgery or a brain injury that will take time to heal, you're left dealing with the consequences of another person's actions.
With any personal injury case, you know that time is going to help you recover. However, if you don't have the financial support you need, it could be hard to focus on your recovery. That's why it's a good idea to work with your personal injury attorney to get the compensation you deserve.
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