For many people, the unthinkable happens out of the blue—you discover that someone you know and love is being abused or neglected by the staff at a nursing home in Oregon. After learning about the situation, deciding what to do next is often overwhelming and frustrating.
The people you relied on to take care of your loved one have failed, or they may have been the direct cause of the injury or even death of your family member. Unfortunately, this situation is not all that uncommon; many of Oregon’s nursing homes fail to achieve satisfactory scores on their annual inspections, and even those living at a facility that is rated highly are not completely safe from negligence and abuse.
Abuse can come in many forms, from physically assaulting someone to giving them the wrong medicine. Most commonly, it arises as a direct result of staffing concerns. Most nursing homes are for-profit and so prioritize filling as many beds as possible—and compensating as few workers as possible. This leads to too few staff on the floor and not enough time to properly attend to each resident’s needs. The best care outcomes are achieved when a single staff member must oversee no more than three or four people. Many modern nursing homes have a ratio closer to one staffer per 30 residents.
As soon as you learned about what happened to your loved one, your first instinct was probably to confront the nursing home and try to find answers. This is sensible, but it may not lead you anywhere. A nursing home has a vested interest in protecting itself, so you are better off reaching out to unbiased resources that can advocate on your behalf. Oregon is home to many resources, both statewide and local, that are specifically intended to protect individuals who rely on nursing homes and hold facilities accountable for improper care.
Reporting Elder Abuse in Oregon
When considering how to report nursing home abuse or negligence, you may know that you need to document the evidence and seek assistance from local resources. However, you might not be sure of exactly who those resources are. The best place to start is with an ombudsman.
The Ombudsman Program is a framework for advocacy and patient rights that is required in every state. Ombudsmen work to make sure that residents in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and other units are taken care of appropriately and not neglected or abused. The program is backed by the Administration on Aging, so starting here is your best first step.
In Oregon, the statewide ombudsman is located in Salem; that being said, the office will help anyone in any city in Oregon. The office is located at 3855 Wolverine St. NE, Suite 6, Salem 97305-1251 and can be reached by phone at 503-378-6533 (or toll-free at 1-800-522-2602). If you use a TTY device to make phone calls, you can dial 711.
If the ombudsman requests that you send information, you can fax it directly to 503-373-0852. The current statewide ombudsman in Oregon is Fred Steele, Jr., who you can reach at LTCO.info@oregon.gov if you would prefer electronic communication over a phone call.
Once you have gotten in touch with an ombudsman, do not forget to equip yourself with legal experts too. Reach out for a free consultation at 888-375-9998 to make a plan for what to do next.
How Do I Report Nursing Home Abuse in Portland?
When it comes to the decision to retire, many people often elect to make a move to a new city. Within Oregon, Portland is one of the top choices. Its opportunities are many—with a metro population of nearly 2.4 million people, Portland is the 26th largest city in the United States and second only to Seattle in the Pacific Northwest. More than half of Oregon’s entire population lives in Portland, and it is no wonder why; the nearly 12% of the population over the age of 65 cite the beautiful waterfront and variety of goods centering around the port as features that drew them to the area.
With a large population comes a constant scramble to provide enough housing, and nursing homes are no different. An impressive 61 nursing homes are located within 25 miles of the city center—nearly half of the entire state’s reported total as of its 2017 executive assessment. Despite the need to attend to a large swath of the population, these nursing homes remain generally low-quality. While some maintain higher than average scores on their inspections, more than 10% of Portland’s nursing homes have been fined or otherwise penalized for confirmed cases of abuse.
It is important that you remain vigilant, even if your loved one lives in a nursing home with higher than average ratings. You may reach out to the statewide ombudsman, but Portland also has a local ombudsman program as well. The quickest way to get in touch is via their online complaint form at https://www.portlandoregon.gov/ombudsman/64986. However, the office is located at 1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 310, Portland, OR 97204 if you need to send documents, or you can provide documentation via email at ombudsman@portlandoregon.gov. The office can be reached by phone at 503-823-0144.
How Do I Report Nursing Home Abuse in Salem?
Just south of Portland on the west side of the state sits Salem, the capital of Oregon. Both Marion County and Polk County make up the combined area of Salem, and its metro population of more than 400,000 places it behind Portland as the second largest city in the state.
Salem is home to a slightly larger population of individuals over the age of 65 than its northern counterpart, but because of its smaller size overall, only 12 nursing homes can be found within the 25 miles surrounding the city center. More options become available within 50 miles, with 42 nursing homes cropping up.
Like Portland, Salem struggles to provide adequate care, and nearly 20% of its nursing homes have been cited for neglect. The good news is that the state ombudsman office is located directly in the city. The office at 3855 Wolverine St NE, Suite 6, Salem, OR 97305 takes calls at 800-522-2602 or 503-378-6533 and can also be reached at ltco.info@oregon.gov. As part of its comprehensive, statewide approach to patient care, this office can also be a resource for loved ones who live in non-traditional nursing homes such as memory care units and residential facilities. You can contact the residential facilities ombudsman at 844-674-4567 or 503-378-6852, or you can send an email to rfo.info@oregon.gov. TTY users should dial 503-373-0852.
How Do I Report Elder Abuse in Eugene?
Continuing even further south than Portland and Salem, prospective retirees will encounter the bustling but homey city of Eugene, Oregon’s third largest area. Eugene’s population is eclipsing 200,000, but it is soon expected to rival Salem in size. The Eugene-Springfield metro area, which is the county seat of Lane County, boasts a robust natural environment that draws rural types interested in a retirement close to the outdoors. With the vibrant Willamette Valley on its doorstep, it is no wonder the city has earned the nickname “The Emerald City.”
Eugene is home to slightly more older individuals than either Salem or Portland by percentage of population. Despite this, it is home to the same number of nursing homes as its northern neighbors in Salem—and the same number of facilities cited for abuse, also at nearly 20%.
In addition to reporting to the statewide ombudsman, which is critical in the smaller cities of Oregon that may not have their own advocacy programs, you can also reach out to the Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon, which has a local office in Lane County. You can get in touch with this resource at 541-682-3353 or by email at ADRCLane@lcog.org. You can also reach the main office at its toll free number of 1-855-ORE-ADRC (1-855-673-2372) or send an email to ADRC.WebMessages@state.or.us. The Aging and Disability Resource Connection of Oregon may not be able to directly handle your situation, but they are a valuable resource for pointing you in the right direction, because the office works with not just nursing homes but also long-term care facilities and any location where Adult Protective Services may be needed.
Monitoring Care to Prevent Nursing Home Abuse in Oregon
Oregon has its own statewide rules for how it manages nursing homes, but it is also subject to the Department of Health and federal regulations that stipulate how long-term care facilities should be operated. This includes regular inspections, typically annually, that examine more than 100 unique factors of how the nursing home operates. Included in this rubric is not only patient care outcomes like bedsores but also factors such as how documentation is kept and filed, how many staff are available at any given time, and whether the nursing home provides its residents with enough advanced notice before asking them to move or discharging them. Facilities that have received poor or failing scores in the past are typically inspected more than once per year, and the visits are unannounced.
If a facility fails to make substantive change to bring it up to an acceptable level of quality, it may suffer a variety of consequences. The first step is typically fines, which can range in excess of $100,000. If a nursing home continues to offer subpar care, it may lose its license and be forced to permanently close. In serious situations, such as after lawsuits, some nursing home administrators may also be barred from operating or opening another facility based on their past performance.
Reporting Abuse in Long-Term Care in Oregon
You may be wondering why you need legal representation at all if you have already spoken to an ombudsman or other resource. While it is true that your primary focus should be on keeping your loved one safe, filing a lawsuit is a critical step in the process. It is true that any monetary damages you receive will not be able to undo what happened to your family member, but these damages serve a secondary—and very important—purpose.
The majority of nursing homes are operated by for-profit conglomerates. This means that your lawsuit and the recovery of damages is the most effective means you have of forcing the nursing home to change its practices. In an effort to avoid future payouts that will cut into its bottom line, a nursing home is more likely to amend its administration and take better care of its residents following a lawsuit. You can play an important part in keeping the other residents of the nursing home safe.
Reach Out to Senior Justice Law Firm for Elder Abuse and Neglect Lawyers in Oregon
If you are ready to begin the process of filing a lawsuit against a nursing home or long-term care facility in Oregon, make sure to choose a law firm that is experienced in this field of law. Senior Justice is made up of attorneys who only take nursing home abuse cases. This means that our combined experience gives us an edge in this field. We are available to speak to you at any time at 888-375-9998. Reach out to schedule a consultation with us so that we can sit down with you at no cost to discuss what steps you should take next.
We will review the information you have and determine whether you have a case and what your next best step should be.
