There is little more important than the safety and comfort of our relatives. It can be difficult to make the decision to move an elderly relative into an assisted living facility or nursing home. But once that decision is made, we must hope that the facility’s medical professionals and staff members have the same concern for our seniors’ lives as we do.
Tennessee has dozens of nursing homes run by several large and independent agencies. Most patients and residents in these facilities are safe and happy, but several have suffered due to staff abuse or neglect of their most fundamental needs.
One Arlington nursing home has been enjoined from accepting new patients while state health inspectors investigate the allegation that a resident was hidden in a closet during a scheduled inspection. The facility outside Memphis has been cited for several other violations as well, including the death of a patient from a preventable ulcer after staff did not elevate her legs as prescribed.
The hidden resident was actually not a “resident” at all, as she was living in the home without records. Staff members tried to claim she was only a day patient, then gave a fake name for her to investigators after the elderly woman was found sitting inside a storage closet. She claimed to have been living there “off the books” for nine months.
Victims f nursing home abuse and neglect have the right to ask for compensation for their injuries. An attorney can help review the details of a case of abuse or neglect and prepare a case to restore justice to the victim and his or her family.