Long term care in skilled nursing facilities is one of the largest sectors of the health care industry. Nearly 40% of adults will receive nursing home care in their lifetime and there are over 32,000 people currently residing in Michigan nursing homes. As medical advances increase the average life expectancy and the Baby Boomer generation ages, the demand for nursing homes will continue to increase exponentially.
These facilities provide critical services for senior citizens, those with disabilities, and those recovering from major injuries, illnesses, or surgeries. Nursing home residents and their families rely on these facilities to provide a safe environment, competent medical care, and a high quality of life.
Residents of nursing homes are often vulnerable, and unfortunately, abuse and neglect can occur. Staff who are stretched too thin, not properly trained, not paying enough attention, or not properly implementing medical care plans can cause injury or worse. Tragically, physical and sexual abuse can also occur.
Long term care facilities are highly regulated by federal and state mandates and are subject to government oversight and inspections. However, the government simply does not have the resources to adequately monitor every nursing home and ensure the safety of every resident. Michigan law allows the victims of elder abuse and nursing home negligence to seek compensation for their injuries through a personal injury lawsuit. These lawsuits hold nursing homes accountable and help to prevent future injuries and abuse.
The attorneys and support staff at Gruel Mills have over 30 years of experience helping nursing home residents and their families pursue financial compensation for the trauma, indignities, pain, and expenses they have incurred due to nursing home abuse-related injuries and deaths.
Review Other Personal Injury Practice Areas
All residents of a nursing home, or skilled nursing facility, require assistance with some or all activities of daily living. Most are medically fragile, some are recovering from recent surgeries or lengthy inpatient hospital stays, and some are battling terminal illness. These residents are vulnerable and often cannot defend themselves against abuse.
A nursing home has a legal responsibility to all of its residents to provide a safe environment and to meet their physical, medical, and social needs. Elder abuse is egregious behavior; it is illegal, and it is actionable. If your family is dealing with abuse or suspected abuse in a nursing home, reach out.
At Gruel Mills, our attorneys are committed to holding healthcare professionals, care home administrators, and nursing home support staff accountable. We are in a unique position to review and assess your concerns—we have a nurse and a physician on staff. Let us help turn your questions into answers.
In addition to laws preventing verbal, sexual, physical, and financial abuse and exploitation, state and federal regulations establish a nursing home resident’s rights. When a family has a fragile loved one in a residential health care facility, they trust the nursing home will afford the resident all the dignity, privacy, and independence the resident’s particular health issue will allow.
Residents and their families should accept nothing less than a clean, well-equipped, easily accessible facility with trained and qualified caregivers and licensed clinicians. No resident should suffer consequences arising from malnutrition, dehydration, pressure sores, medication errors, or repeated infections, and cognitively impaired residents must be properly supervised. There is no excuse for any form of abuse or neglect.
Neglect, while also a form of abuse, can be unintentional. When a resident does not receive the necessary care, such as clean clothing, food, water, medication, or personal hygiene, the nursing home neglects and abuses them. Whether neglect results from apathy, lack of training, insufficient staffing, or a willful, deliberate act, harming a nursing home resident is unacceptable.
Some specific examples of neglect include:
While Medicare does not set a minimum resident-to-staff ratio, it does require the presence of a registered nurse for eight hours a day and a licensed nurse at all times. Medicare has an interactive website to allow concerned family members access to the current ratings for facilities in their area.
Speak up if you feel the nursing home violates your written agreement or is not meeting your expectations. Speak up if you witness any resident-on-resident abuse. Speak up if you feel there is a lack of security in the building.
A family member is often the first line of defense for a resident in a nursing home. We understand it is hard to monitor a situation from afar. A nursing home may be the best place for your family member’s immediate needs, but you can be their voice if something is wrong.
The lawyers at Gruel Mills have decades of experience advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves. We stand ready to become a part of your support system. There are many obstacles to accountability for negligence and abuse, but we can help.
Without the assistance of an experienced lawyer, it can be challenging to establish nursing home abuse or neglect and to receive the compensation your family deserves. A nursing home may be quite skilled at hiding or covering up negligent practices; suspected staff members may deny culpability or claim the resident inflicted some of the injuries on themselves.
Without a doubt, the insurance carriers for the suspected defendants will make every effort to deny or devalue the claim. If you suspect abuse, take immediate action and call us for your no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
Our nursing home abuse attorneys at Gruel Mills are committed to protecting our communities’ elders and other vulnerable populations. We know Michigan’s nursing home laws and have decades of experience helping families like yours pursue financial compensation for the damages their loved ones have suffered.
Some things we may review during a discovery period include:
When a nursing facility does not provide reasonable or acceptable skilled care, the lawyers at Gruel Mills know what questions to ask. We have access to a support system that can help establish when nursing homes don’t adhere to acceptable standards of care, and we have the drive and the dedication to do the job right. Reach out to a personal injury lawyer. Call us or contact online to find out how we can help you and your loved one, hold the nursing home accountable, and protect other residents from the abuse or neglect you and your loved one suffered.
Comerica Building
99 Monroe Ave NW #800
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Read client reviews on Google!
