For Pennsylvanians who make the difficult decision to put a loved one in a nursing home, the goal is to help that person receive the attention and care he or she needs. This treatment can be medical or therapeutic in nature, meant simply to allow them to live their lives in safety and in as good of health as is possible. Whether the person is old and infirm, ill, has a condition or handicap, or is facing any other issue, nursing homes are supposed to help them and their loved ones.
Unfortunately, there are frequently problems in these facilities ranging from physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, theft, and failure to provide medical care as it is needed. For those who think their loved one was mistreated in a nursing home and suffered personal injury, seeking assistance from a qualified attorney is the logical step to take to find accountability. This may be especially true when an injury or death is caused by violation of a state or federally-imposed regulation.
State regulators are tasked with overseeing how nursing homes are run, how residents are treated, and issuing penalties for violations. Recent information shows that there were more than 4,700 surveys of these facilities conducted by the state in 2018. These resulted in 169 sanctions lodged against various nursing homes with civil penalties totaling more than $1.5 million. The surveys - alternatively referred to as inspections - led to fines for failures in caring for patients and issues with the buildings.
When facilities receive a citation for failing to adhere to regulations, it must provide a plan to correct the problems and say when this will be completed. In addition to the financial penalties that can be imposed on noncompliant nursing homes, there are a variety of sanctions a facility can face including losing their ability to admit new residents, having their license to run the facility revoked, or being given a provisional license.
It is wise for people who are either considering putting a loved one in a facility or have already done so to keep track of the records regarding how patients have been treated and the facility's upkeep. Failure to provide medical care, mistreatment, and dangerous circumstances and can cause personal injury and death. Since there are times when visitors are not at the facility to keep watch on what is happening, it is not uncommon for problems to arise. If there is suspected abuse or mistreatment at a nursing home, a lawyer experienced in nursing home personal injury cases can help investigate the matter and take the necessary steps to file in hopes of imposing liability and recovering compensation for damages suffered.
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