Nursing home neglect should never be tolerated. Nursing home residents are fragile and are particularly vulnerable to severe harm if they are neglected in any way.
If you suspect that your family member is experiencing neglect in their long-term care facility, you should act immediately to protect their well-being. A proactive nursing home abuse attorney could help you take prompt legal action and hold the negligent party accountable. Call a compassionate Pittsburgh nursing home neglect lawyer today to ensure your loved one gets the justice they deserve.
Failure to Uphold an Elderly Resident’s Rights
Every nursing home resident in Pennsylvania has the right to be treated with dignity. They also have a right to receive appropriate nutrition, medical care, and hygienic care. Any long-term care facility in Pittsburgh that neglects a resident’s basic rights could be held accountable in a civil lawsuit filed by a skilled attorney.
What Does Nursing Home Neglect Look Like?
Neglect in a nursing home occurs anytime a resident does not receive the level of care that they are owed. Whenever an assisted care facility or caretaker fails to do what a reasonable nursing home would do under a given set of circumstances, it is considered negligent under Pennsylvania state law.
Neglect could encompass any of the following:
- Failing to provide for a resident’s basic needs
- Failing to upkeep a resident’s personal hygiene
- Failing to provide necessary medical care
- Failing to do any of the above in a timely manner
Examples of Neglect in Pittsburgh Nursing Homes
Some of the most frequent types of neglect that occur in Pittsburgh long-term care facilities include:
- Allowing infections to worsen
- Delaying diagnosis or treatment
- Pressure ulcers and sepsis due to lack of movement
- Choking due to inadequate feeding
If a resident pushes their call button, signaling they need the help of a caretaker or nurse—but are continuously ignored—resulting in the resident urinating or defecating on themselves, that would be considered neglect.
Other examples of neglect could include a resident trying to get from one place to another on their own because they are not being given the attention that they should be and suffering a fall, as well as nursing home staff who leave a resident in a wheelchair to sit all day and ignore them.
Scenarios That Frequently Lead to Neglect in a Nursing Home
More often than not, when neglect occurs in assisted care facilities, it is due to problems that the nursing home administration is dealing with behind the scenes, such as:
- Poorly trained or uncertified staff members
- Inadequate supervision
- Inadequate policies and procedures in a facility that fail to guide the staff in terms of proper care
- Inadequate resources or equipment
- Understaffing
Types of Injuries that Can Result from Neglect
An elderly resident could sustain various injuries following neglect, many of which are catastrophic and even potentially fatal. Common injuries include:
Injuries resulting from neglect can also cause residents to lose hope or a will to live, have a diminished quality of life, suffer from depression, and other forms of mental anguish. An experienced nursing home neglect lawyer in Pittsburgh could file a lawsuit seeking comprehensive compensation for all of your loved one’s damages.
Reach Out to a Pittsburgh Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Today
If you believe your family member is being neglected by their caretaker, you should notify the nursing home administrator and director of nursing so that they can take appropriate action. If the situation does not improve, contact a Pittsburgh nursing home neglect lawyer from our firm for help.