Advocacy & PreventionEmpowering Caregivers
Empowering Caregivers
Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Prevention
Concern about elder abuse in nursing homes first came to widespread public attention in the 1970s, when facilities were relatively unregulated and had little oversight. Below is a sampling of research findings relating to abuse in long term care facilities:
- According to the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS) data, within the year 2014, 14,258 (7.6%) of approximately 188,599 complaints reported to Ombudsman programs involved abuse, gross neglect, or exploitation.
- A May, 2008 study conducted by the U.S. General Accountability Office revealed that state surveys understate problems in licensed facilities: 70% of state surveys miss at least one deficiency and 15% of surveys miss actual harm and immediate jeopardy of a nursing home resident.
The Musso Law Firm is dedicated to fiercely litigating nursing home abuse and neglect as well as advocating for reform and empowering caregivers to take an active role in prevention.
If you are one of the unfortunate ones where your loved one was hurt at the hands of a facility you trusted, call us now at (703) 726-8188 or contact us online for a FREE case evaluation.
FAQ on Preventing Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect
Can falls be prevented?
Falls are a risk to the health of the elderly and can reduce their ability to remain independent. However, falls are not inevitable. Nursing home staff can reduce the chance of a resident falling or prevent them all together. There are proven ways to reduce and prevent falls, even for older adults.
Can pressure ulcers be prevented?
Most bedsores can be prevented by inspecting the skin for areas of redness every day with particular attention to bony areas and keeping the area clean and dry. Other methods of preventing bedsores and prohibiting them from advancing to later stages are:
- Repositioning every 2 hours (the standard of care for bed sore prevention)
- Sitting upright in a wheelchair, changing position every 15 minutes
- Providing padding in wheelchairs and beds
- Ensuring proper nutrition so the elderly get enough vitamins, minerals, fluids etc to promote skin and wound healing.
Isn't the nursing homes job to ensure my loved one has the best care possible?
The unfortunate reality for nursing home care in the U.S is that it is not the goal of the nursing home to provide the very best care possible to your loved one. It is the goal of the nursing home to provide the minimum level of care possible to avoid a lawsuit while maintaining their own profitability as a business.
What is APIE system?
“A PIE” stands for Assessment, Plan, Implementation and Evaluation. It is a system used by nursing staff to ensure that a patient t is well cared for. This screening tool is invaluable for The Musso Law firm in evaluating whether a case has merit. Simply put, if someone investigates what occured during each step of the nursing home process it will determine whether the right thing was done or not. It is also an life changing tool to prevent nursing home abuse and neglect before it starts.
Preventing Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect
The grim reality is that the baby boomer generation is growing at an alarming rate, and only in the last few decades has it started to consider how it will address long term care. There are over a dozen state and federal agencies actively looking to prevent or solve the problem of elder abuse and neglect, but families of aging loved ones can not, and should not wait for someone else to ensure that our elderly age with grace and dignity the way they deserve. This isn’t a problem that even money can solve, it is the empowered caregiver, the dedicated and well-informed advocate that will ensure their loved one is safe and well cared for. The long-term care industry is one of the few fields where you can’t say you get what you pay for either. The average cost of an annual stay in a skilled nursing facility is $71,000 for a private room and $62,500 for a semi-private room, according to a national study released in March 2006 by Genworth Financial.
Empowering Caregivers
- Did the facts change?
- Was information more available three years after an incident when I was investigating it than in the days following the incident when the State investigators did?
- Was there more information available to a state agent with powers to walk through the home and interview witnesses than me who has no such power?
- The answer to all of these questions is no. The State has way more ability to obtain information to substantiate abuse than an attorney working on a civil case several years after the neglect. The truth of the matter is the State just doesn’t have the time or resources to look hard enough. In case you can’t see the pattern developing here, the bottom line is this:You are the only one who can protect your loved one and make sure they are being cared for properly. It is my great pleasure and privilege to teach you, train and educate caregivers to do this job well by sharing what I’ve learned through my quarter of a century’s worth experience as a nursing home abuse attorney and litigator with families.
Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect
Empowering Caregivers to Prevent Abuse and Neglect
Musso
The Musso Law Firm, PLLC represents residents and their families in prosecuting abuse and neglect lawsuits against the nursing homes that betrayed their trust. We hold nursing homes accountable for choosing profit over people.
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