Waldorf Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Filing a Lawsuit Against a Waldorf Nursing Home? Our Maryland Attorney Can Help

Speak with our Waldorf, MD Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Today – 202-899-3111

If you have ever thought about ideal places to retire, Maryland might have crossed your mind. With its near constant fair weather, pockets of coziness, and historical significance housed therein, the state has grown more popular as a retirement location. Certain cities, like Waldorf, have seen more growth in senior populations than others; as a result, the city of Waldorf has had more nursing homes than ever pop up in recent years.

It is unfortunate that many of these nursing homes have struggled to provide quality care to their residents, resulting in abuse and neglect throughout Waldorf nursing homes. While there will always be nursing homes that appear to perform well, even in the very best facilities, there is simply no way to guarantee that your loved one is safe from abuse.

If you suspect that your family member has been abused or neglected by a Waldorf nursing home, contact Senior Justice Law Firm at 202-899-3111.

As Waldorf attorneys who devote their practice to bringing nursing home abuse and neglect claims, this is our law firm’s focus. Senior Justice Law Firm is uniquely qualified to help you win your Maryland nursing home abuse lawsuit. With offices in Washington DC and Baltimore, we can help your family after a terrible nursing home tragedy.

Waldorf Nursing Homes Score Poorly on Resident Care

Waldorf’s popularity as a retirement location is growing in part because of the plethora of easily accessible activities available to older folks who enjoy getting out during the day. History is everywhere in and around Waldorf. There are several scenic byways to travel, one of which follows the escape route of John Wilkes Booth as he fled from Washington before he was caught.

Naturally, museums abound in Waldorf—you can stop by St. Clementine’s Island Museum to learn about the early colonists before voyaging to the 40-acre island where settlers from Europe first landed. Those who prefer nature and art over history may enjoy the Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, which consists of 30 acres of forests, meadows, and paved paths that weave through a massive collection of sculptures. Those more interested in staying in have a plethora of nursing homes in Waldorf to choose from.

In fact, Waldorf and its nearby areas contain 29 nursing homes to choose from. However, less than half of these facilities are able to provide care that ranks as Average according to inspection reviews, with many receiving the bare minimum Much Below Average or 1 out of 5 score. Some have been directly fined for confirmed cases of abuse and added to a national registry of neglectful facilities.

Spotting Abusive Nursing Homes

In Waldorf, nursing homes tend to struggle primarily in areas of sanitation and staffing—common problems that plague facilities across the US, not just in Maryland. It is important to remember that only about 30 percent of US nursing home facilities are not profit driven. For-profit facilities may cut corners to maximize cost efficiency, which will often result in hazardous situations, such as overcrowded living quarters. Most of the time, resident care is inadequate because there are too few staff for the number of residents. The recommended ratio of caregiver to patient is one to four, but it is not uncommon for facility caregivers to be responsible for more than 30 residents at a time.

The potential for abuse and negligence in any nursing home is very real, but facilities that care more about money than residents are more likely to let patients slip through the cracks. While there are instances of staff members intentionally abusing patients, it is more common for harm to occur unintentionally—this is called negligence. Though unintentional, it is still a form of abuse that the facility can and should be held accountable for.

If you suspect that your loved one experienced pain, suffering, injury, or even death as a consequence of nursing home abuse or neglect, it can be hard to know what to do about it. The first step is to put what you saw in writing. Negligence is not always readily apparent, but some common signs to look for include:

• Bedsores – In cases of nursing home abuse and neglect, bedsores are the closest thing there is to concrete proof of negligence. They are a very clear indicator of neglect because nothing else will cause them. Bedsores develop when the blood supply to the skin is cut off from laying in a fixed position for too long. They are fairly easy to avoid; one must simply shift positions every few hours, which is something nursing home staff should help patients do. When a nursing home resident develops bedsores, it means staff have failed to properly attend to the resident. Bedsores are lesions that look like ulcers when they appear (usually on the elbows, shoulders, and tailbone), are extremely painful, and can reach down into the bone. The affected skin will eventually split open if left untreated. This is problematic because it makes the patient vulnerable to infection and conditions like MRSA and sepsis, which could be fatal.

• Falls– If your loved one appears to be battered, bruised, or has other unexplained injuries, it might be a hint of frequent falls. Nursing homes that take performing their due diligence seriously will actively strive to prevent residents from falling by removing both blatant and potential hazards (like beds that one may easily roll out of, slippery floors, high doorframe thresholds, and uneven carpet). If a nursing home does not take the necessary steps to remove tripping and falling hazards, it is liable for the injuries that result—injuries may include broken bones and brain bleeds (called subdural hematomas).
• Malnutrition/dehydration – In nursing homes, eating and drinking is considered to be a risky undertaking—that is, unless the facility is sufficiently staffed. Consuming sustenance can be risky because choking or swallowing down “the wrong pipe” (aspiration pneumonia) is a very real danger for many nursing home residents. Understaffing often prevents attendees from supervising residents while they eat and drink, which is problematic, especially for patients who have mobility issues and require extra assistance. Likewise, those who have physical limitations or special dietary considerations usually require more care to meet their basic needs. The extra time and work required to care for these individuals make them more susceptible to neglect. Understaffed kitchens may have difficulty staying on top of standard meals and may not have the resources to accommodate dietary restrictions. Similarly, residents who need help eating and drinking may not consume anything if there are no staff available help feed them. This may lead to dehydration, malnutrition, starvation, and even death.
• Physical and sexual abuse– Many people do not want to believe that physical or sexual abuse can and do occur in nursing homes. Most are unsettled by the thought of the nursing staff—the people who are supposed to offer care and protection to elderly residents—causing or failing to prevent these injuries. When staff are exhausted, frustrated, or both, they may lash out at residents who complain or do not cooperate. Unfortunately, not even facilities that have their staff vetted during background checks can guarantee that abuse will not occur. Other residents may also be responsible for these injuries. Residents who have impaired cognition or memory issues might not interact with other residents in appropriate ways. When nursing homes fail to address any of these issues or complaints, they are liable for the resulting abuse or neglect.

Understanding the Need for a Waldorf, MD Nursing Home Negligence Case

If you have reached the stage of deciding whether to file a lawsuit against a Waldorf nursing home, it is likely that you are plagued by doubts. It may not seem fruitful at this point; it certainly cannot take away the suffering and pain your love one experienced. While this is true, it is important to remember that many nursing homes are profit-driven. Ultimately, seeking monetary compensation in the form of damages helps prevent other residents from suffering the same fate; penalizing abusive facilities this way gives them an impetus to offer better care for the purpose of avoiding any more future payouts.

Waldorf Area Nursing Homes

Waldorf, MD Assisted Living Facility Programs

Waldorf Nursing Home Abuse News

Over the last few years, the increasing demand for nursing homes in Maryland has placed a heightened burden on the elder care system in the state. Facilities have paid out millions in fines for improper care, and no corner of the state is immune to poor ratings during health inspections.

Attorney General Frosh began taking action against abusive and negligent nursing homes to hold them accountable for their inappropriate behavior—which included discharging and evicting patients who had no place to go or were unwell. More than a thousand residents were wrongfully removed from homes, and Frosh explained that facilities that do this “engage in this unlawful and at times inhumane conduct in order to maximize the amount of money [they are] paid by taxpayer-funded public health insurance programs.”

In both Maryland and across the country, this fixation on monetary profit over correct patient treatment remains the trend. While nursing homes guilty of these actions are being shut down and prevented from reopening under new names, this is only the first step in stopping this behavior.

Free Waldorf Nursing Home Abuse Case Consultation

Deciding to file a lawsuit against an abusive Waldorf nursing home can be overwhelming and exhausting all on its own. Senior Justice Law Firm can help guide you through the process step by step. We get that lawsuits are a big undertaking, especially in light of a loved one suffering injury or death. Rest assured that we can turn that big undertaking into doable steps to help you succeed.

As your Waldorf nursing home abuse attorney, we can offer you experience built upon years of working in nursing home abuse litigation. We want to utilize our knowledge and resources to make sure you get the financial compensation you deserve and, in the process, ensure that the abusive elder care facility is held responsible for its abuse and negligence. You can contact us any time to provide us with information or evidence pertaining to your case; we would be happy to advise you free of charge.

Submit your information below or reach out to us by phone at 202-899-3111. You can also get in touch with us by using our chat feature on our website.