About Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Lakeland Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Dean Burnetti provides professional Nursing Home Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect Attorney legal services in Polk County, including: Lakeland, Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Highland Park, Hillcrest Heights, Lake Alfred, Lake Hamilton, Lake Wales, Mulberry, Polk City, and Winter Haven; in Highlands County, including: Avon Park, Lake Placid, Lorida, Sebring, Venus, Placid Lake, and Sylvan Shores; and in Hardee County, including: Bowling Green, Ona, Wauchula, Zolfo Springs, Gardner, and Limestone; and all of the Greater Central Florida Area.

The term “nursing home injury” refers to both abuse and neglect to the resident of a nursing home, senior living facility, retirement home, old age home, assisted living facility, convalescent home, rest home, etc.

With the number of elderly Floridians, the question of what to look for in a nursing facility arises frequently. Unfortunately, the question comes too often after an incident has already happened. Remember, it’s critical to stay actively involved to ensure your loved one receives the best possible nursing home care.

Selecting a Nursing Home:

First of all, before you admit your loved one into a nursing home, it’s important to tour the facility. Federal regulations require nursing facilities to provide all residents with the following:

• A room with an exterior window for natural light and orientation to the time of day, weather, and season;
• A bed of appropriate size and height;
• A clean, comfortable mattress;
• Bedding, which is appropriate to the weather/climate; and
• Furniture appropriate to the resident’s needs, including a separate closet or clothing storage spaces.

These regulations also require nursing facilities to provide a “safe, clean, comfortable and homelike environment”. In other words, the goal is for these facilities to feel less institutional and more like home.  By the same token, residents should be allowed to bring items and personal effects to help create a personalized living space.

Beyond the above, there are other things you want to look for on your tour of the facility:

• From the moment you enter the facility, listen
• What smells do you notice?
• Does the food look and taste palatable?
• How do the residents spend their waking hours?
• You’ll also want to pay attention to how the staff interacts with each other.
• Do you notice any bruising or bed sores?
• Is the staff overworked?
• How does the facility handle a resident’s fall?
• Finally, you’ll want to look for safety devices as soon as you enter the facility.

Nursing Home Neglect:

Neglect in nursing facilities is one of the most common forms of abuse. The fact is neglect is abusive and it is a serious charge. When a person fails to receive the appropriate level of care they require, this is considered to be neglect.

Oftentimes, neglect in care facilities includes failure to assist residents with proper hygiene.  Even worse, neglect can be a failure of providing hygiene to residents who cannot help themselves.

When residents are incapable of performing such tasks as bathing, dressing, washing and brushing their own hair, clipping their own fingernails and toenails, wiping themselves after using the restroom, brushing and flossing their own teeth, cleaning their glasses, and removing, cleaning, and reinserting their dentures, their physical health can deteriorate.  Such neglected residents lose their dignity which causes their self-esteem to plummet and often causes depression to set in.

Furthermore, dental cavities, a mass of tangled hair, uncleaned private areas after restroom use, or dirty eye glasses can cause initial discomfort to exacerbate into intense physical pain.

Nursing Home Abuse:

Aside from neglect in nursing facilities, other common types of abuse include physical abuse, sexual abuse, and financial abuse or exploitation. Nursing Home Abuse may be in the form of:

• Physical Abuse
• Sexual Abuse
• Financial Abuse or Exploitation

Dean Burnetti Law Can Help...

No matter how you were injured or if a loved one was killed by Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect and you aren’t sure what your options are, the attorneys and staff at Dean Burnetti Law are familiar with every aspect of your case.  They are eager to navigate the legal system for you as you travel down the road to physical and financial recovery.  Call Dean Burnetti Law at 863-287-6388 or 813-287-6388 today to schedule your free and confidential consultation.

The attorneys and staff at Dean Burnetti Law are familiar with every aspect of Nursing Home Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect Injuries, including broken or dislocated bones, broken teeth, welts, contusions, bed sores, sexual abuse, financial abuse, and even death. Our team is highly qualified and waiting to serve you.