Nursing homes that neglect and abuse their residents fear the Nursing Home Injury Help Center because we help victims and their families fight back. Our PA nursing home lawyers work tirelessly to protect the rights of nursing home residents from corporate greed which has permeated the nursing home industry and diminished quality of care.
Presently, there are over 1.5 million people residing in nursing homes in the US. Almost 70 percent of these are for profit. Major for profit nursing home operators and industry groups have created a multi-billion dollar industry by running nursing homes “more efficiently.” Unfortunately for nursing home residents, efficiency means aggressive cuts to nursing home staff and vital resources used to care for residents. Many for profit homes are so chronically understaffed that nurses are simply incapable of providing quality care to all the residents, as a nursing home lawyer in Philadelphia, PA knows.
For-profit nursing home residents usually get less time with RNs, LPNs and CNAs. Nursing staff at for-profit homes spend about 4 hours per day caring for residents needs. According to an analysis of federal data by the American Health Care Association, this amounts to about half an hour less than nonprofit facilities. Registered nurses at for-profit homes spend around 38 minutes per patient, while those at nonprofits spend 1 hour.
Residents in for profit-homes get less time with nursing staff. Thus, it’s not surprising that for-profit facilities are cited more frequently for severe health deficiencies than their nonprofit and government run counterparts. According to survey data reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the government’s fiscal 2013, 19% of for-profit homes had a health deficiency of actual harm or immediate jeopardy to residents, compared with 15% of nonprofit homes and 17.7% of government-run ones.
When nursing homes are understaffed, nurses are forced to cut corners and neglect residents. Nurses that are overworked are more likely to be tired, lose their temper and become abusive. Short-staffed homes are vulnerable to professional malpractice claims because they cannot provide quality care to residents, which often results in injury or death. Additionally, nursing homes that aggressively cut resources and staff may be found liable for corporate negligence. Corporate negligence can occur when a nursing home fails to maintain safe and adequate facilities and equipment, fails to retain competent physicians, fails to oversee medical staff that practice medicine and provide patient care, or when it fails to formulate, adopt and enforce adequate rules and policies to ensure quality care for patients.
If a nursing home’s neglectful care causes serious injuries to your loved The Nursing Home Injury Help Center has your back. We have the skills and experience needed to investigate a claim and get justice for victims. Our trained nursing home abuse attorneys know what to look for and will sort through what can be mountains of medical records to identify parts of the medical chart which show negligent care. We don’t quit on tough cases, even if our search amounts to finding the proverbial “needle in the haystack.” Our goal is to ensure that all victims of neglect and abuse are compensated for the damages they suffered.
In many cases, we represent elderly individuals who are towards the end of their lives and have cognitive problems, as well as other complicated health issues. Certainly, the elderly still deserve compassionate care and have earned the right to dignity and respect in their final years. When a nursing home fails to provide the quality care we hold them accountable as a PA nursing home law firm. Call us immediately if you feel a loved one has been neglected or abused by their nursing home caretakers. The consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer in Philadelphia, PA is free and we’re here to help.
