Filing a Lawsuit Against a Fredericksburg Nursing Home?
Our Virginia Law Firm Can Help.
We are Fredericksburg nursing home abuse attorneys who exclusively deal with cases involving negligent or abusive nursing homes. Our aim is to award you both the justice and financial compensation you deserve, while also holding these long-term care facilities accountable for their negligent behavior.
Interested in contacting our Virginia nursing home abuse attorney? Call Senior Justice Law Firm now at (202) 899-3111.
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Many Seniors Call Fredericksburg Home
In the last few years, the population of older folks calling Fredericksburg home has seen significant increases. And it is no wonder why—many people who consider where they would like to retire give great consideration to Virginia. Its temperate weather, beautiful natural landscapes and beaches, and historical significance make it an appealing choice for many people. In response to the influx of elderly residents, nursing homes have continued to spring up across the area.
Unfortunately, even though many are new, most elder care facilities struggle to offer adequate quality of life and long-term care to aging residents in Fredericksburg. One of the main concerns is understaffing, which typically results in poor nutrition, medicine administration being forgotten, and even injuries such as bedsores.
If you suspect that your family member was abused or neglected in a Fredericksburg nursing home, reach out to Senior Justice Law Firm at (202) 899-3111.
We are Fredericksburg nursing home abuse attorneys who exclusively tackle nursing home abuse cases. We want to see justice served against abusive and negligent nursing homes while achieving the monetary compensation that your family deserves during this challenging time. We accept cases throughout Virginia, including Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Stafford and King George County.
Fredericksburg Nursing Homes Rank Below Average
Thanks to its long history, Fredericksburg is popular with folks who are interested in the founding and development of the United States. Those who find this feature of the quaint and cozy town appealing can enjoy stops at Old Town, the battlefield in Fredericksburg, and the Mary Washington House. For people with more of a nature inclination, easy trails are available to walk at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Park and Chatham Manor. Those who would rather spend their time indoors have their fair pick of nursing home facilities nearby.
In fact, Fredericksburg and the areas nearby house 34 individual long term care facilities that provide for the area’s retirement community. Many of these locations have scored only the bare minimum acceptable rating in their government mandated inspections, netting a meager 1 out of 5 rating or Much Below Average. Some nursing homes have seen fines for confirmed cases of abuse, and even those with higher than average ratings are not immune to scrutiny.
Abusive Nursing Home Evidence
It is a common question—why do nursing homes chronically underperform when it comes to the basic features of providing care to elderly residents? The primary reasoning comes down to money; most nursing homes are managed by for-profit organizations that are mainly concerned with fitting as many beds into a facility (and filling those beds) as possible. This leads to understaffing, as there is not enough support for the number of staff it would take to adequately attend to these residents, and so the facility makes do with the number of workers it has, despite having far too many beds.
This is the driver behind the lack of quality in nursing home outcomes. A staff member may be expected to take charge of as many as 30 individual patient cases, and it is impossible for one person to spend quality time caring for any one of those 30. Conversely, the best outcomes are achieved when a staff member is responsible for no more than four people.
If you suspect that your loved one’s pain, injuries, or even death were a result of abuse and neglect at a nursing home, it is critical that you document what you have seen and reach out to legal counsel right away. Some of the most common signs of abuse include:
- Bedsores– No sign points more directly and clearly toward nursing home abuse and neglect than bedsores. There is no medical condition that causes bedsores; they are always the result of insufficient care. Bed sores arise when a resident lies in the same position for an extended period of time, placing pressure on small areas of the skin (such as the tailbone or elbows). Preventing these ulcer-like injuries is simple; staff need only to help a resident shift their body weight every few hours. This can take just a few minutes and is sufficient to stop bed sores from becoming an issue.
Once these injuries appear, the situation can become dire for a resident very quickly. Bedsores can be large and reach all the way to the bone, providing an open wound entry point for serious conditions such as infections, MRSA, and even sepsis.
- Falls– Unexplained injuries are a common indicator that your loved one has experienced falls that have gone unreported. It is a nursing home’s responsibility to reduce the risk that your family member may fall by doing simple things such as removing trip hazards like debris and high doorframes, cleaning wet or slippery surfaces, and using equipment like beds with railings that help to keep residents safe. However, nursing homes looking to cut corners may first do so by neglecting these actions, and your loved one can fall as a result.
Without the mitigation of fall risk, patients can stumble and suffer from broken bones and brain bleeds (called subdural hematomas) that are directly the result of improper care at the facility.
- Malnutrition/dehydration– When you think of mealtimes in nursing homes, you probably do not typically consider how dangerous they can be. Choking and things “going down the wrong pipe” are extremely common if residents are unsupervised when they eat or drink, and the odds that they will be doing so alone are only increasing as understaffing continues to be problematic across the nation.
In addition, many older folks suffer from mobility issues that can make simple tasks such as holding a fork or gripping a mug extremely challenging, if not impossible on their own. Residents experiencing these challenges who are forced to eat and drink alone may end up not consuming anything at all. This can lead to malnutrition, dehydration, and even starvation, which can prove fatal if not addressed quickly.
- Physical and sexual abuse– You may not want to believe that physical or sexual abuse can occur at a nursing home, but it is not as rare as you may have initially imagined. One of the most common causes of this type of abuse is when overworked staff are pushed beyond their limits by uncooperative or forgetful residents and they lash out physically. However, make no mistake; the resident is not at fault here, and nursing homes can prevent this behavior by more appropriately assigning staff to fewer patients to prevent them from becoming overwhelmed and overworked.
Take Back Control: Begin a Fredericksburg Nursing Home Negligence Case
If you are at the point where you believe that the nursing home was responsible for pain and suffering experienced by your loved one, you may be feeling lost. However, it is critical that you continue on and file a lawsuit against the facility, even if you are not interested in the monetary compensation you may receive. No amount of money can undo what your family member experienced, but it can have a drastic effect on the lives of the other residents in the nursing home.
Lawsuits lead to better care in nursing homes.
Since most nursing homes are for-profit entities, levying a monetary penalty is one of the most effective ways to force them to change their practices. In an effort to avoid paying out from their profits in the future, they will amend their management of the facility, and this can lead to a drastically improved quality of life for the other people at the nursing home. You can turn a negative situation into one with some benefit to others.
Your lawsuit against the nursing home will be made up of points specific to you; however, many cases are similar in the claims they make. Some of them include:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium (when someone is deprived of the family benefits of having a loved one, such as affection and sexual relations)
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Distress, both mental and emotional
- Medical bills
- Loss of earnings
- Funeral costs (if a wrongful death has occurred)
NURSING HOMES IN FREDERICKSBURG:
| There are 34 nursing homes in Fredericksburg and the 50 miles surrounding the historic locale. While some achieved average or higher scores on their government mandated inspections, the large majority managed only minimal scores of Much Below Average. Locations like these include (but are not limited to):
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Fredericksburg Nursing Home News
Virginia continues to face an uphill battle statewide to ensure that its elderly residents are being treated appropriately in nursing homes, and Fredericksburg is no exception. Fines for facilities have exceeded five million dollars in some locations, and local news source WTKR has presented the commentary of staff and nurses who work at some of the hardest hit locations. According to the reports, “Long-term care professionals who are dedicated to their jobs and compassionate to their patients say they struggle to keep going in an industry that often does not hire enough staff for its facilities and underpays its staff,” they noted in an interview.
While some fines constitute minor infractions like not posting records properly, consistent issues arise in the facilities’ inability or unwillingness to “1) hire only people with no legal history of abusing, neglecting or mistreating residents, or 2) report and investigate any acts or reports of abuse, neglect or mistreatment of residents.” Fredericksburg is just one of many cities currently suffering from this widespread issue in elder care and management.
Free Lawyer Consultation for Fredericksburg Nursing Home Abuse Suits
If you are ready to begin the lawsuit process against an abusive or negligent nursing home in Fredericksburg, you may be unsure of what to do next. Senior Justice Law Firm would be happy to walk you through the steps and help you develop a plan of action, whether that involves settling outside of court or ensuring that you see your day in court, if that is your goal.
We are lawyers with a narrow focus on elder abuse law, so we can guide you through these difficult circumstances. Senior Justice would be glad to discuss the specifics of your situation and help you create a roadmap of how to proceed in seeking justice and the compensation your family deserves.
Get in touch by using our chat feature or submitting your information below. You can also contact us via phone at (202) 899-3111.
