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When you place a loved one in a nursing home, you expect the nursing home to provide them with the care and consideration they deserve. However, this is not always the case. Nursing home abuse is more common than you might think, with over 15,000 complaints being filed against nursing homes in 2020 alone. This statistic is disheartening, especially given the amount of trust we place in nursing homes to take care of our elders.
At Senior Justice Law Firm, we understand that nursing home abuse is a serious problem. Our firm is one of the only firms in the country that focuses its practice on suing nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals for patient neglect. If you or someone you know suffered from a nursing home abuse cover-up, you should reach out to us as soon as possible so that we can help you get the justice that you deserve.
Nursing Home Abuse Statistics
The breakdown by type of nursing home abuse consists of the following:
- Physical abuse: 29%,
- Resident-on-resident abuse: 22%,
- Psychological abuse: 21%,
- Gross neglect: 14%,
- Sexual abuse: 7%,
- Financial exploitation: 7%.
If you believe someone is the victim of a nursing home abuse cover-up, you should reach out to one of our elder law attorneys at Senior Justice Law firm.
How Nursing Homes Try to Cover Up Abuse and Neglect
You might wonder how nursing home neglect is hidden. There are a few different ways this can occur.
Failing to Report Abuse or Neglect
Like other crimes, many nursing home abuse cases go unreported. Nursing home neglect cover-ups are illegal, as nursing homes are legally required to report all cases of nursing home abuse and neglect to authorities. However, cover-ups occur all too frequently.
Nursing home workers are often afraid of damaging the reputation of the nursing home or losing their jobs if they report abuse. Additionally, ineffective management can allow abuse to go unreported.
Lying About Injuries
Sometimes, nursing home neglect is covered up by an employee who lies about how a patient was injured. Some employees lie about their own actions, while others lie about their fellow employee’s conduct. As you can imagine, employees who lie to cover up abuse often do so to protect themselves, their fellow coworkers, and the facility from legal ramifications.
Falsifying Records
While it is illegal to lie on someone’s medical record for the purpose of covering up abuse, it still happens. Nursing homes have been found guilty of falsifying medical records to cover up signs of abuse. Some of the ways they do this include lying about:
- How much medication a patient was given,
- How an injury occurred, and
- If the facility followed the proper protocols after an incident.
These are just some of the ways that facilities might attempt to hide neglect and abuse.
How Can Senior Justice Law Firm Help?
At Senior Justice Law Firm, we chose to represent victims of abuse and their families—never the nursing home facilities. Our firm is made up of compassionate advocates that have decades of experience litigating against nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospitals. If you or someone you know has been the victim of nursing home abuse, you can reach out to us online or by phone at 888-375-9998.
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