By Thomas Waitt Pleasant, North Carolina injury and wrongful death attorney.Toll-free 888-435-7156. McKnight's long-term care news reports (http://www.mcknights.com/Massive-stimulus-package-likely-to-include-Medicaid-funds/article/122738/?DCMP=EMC-MCK_Daily) that a massive stimulus package taking shape in Washington will likely include billions of dollars in additional Medicaid funding. This is good news. Primarily, this is good news for the elderly on Medicaid to pay for their care and nursing homes. Because understaffing is such a concern in nursing homes (and not infrequently results in injury and/or abuse in the nursing home environment), additional Medicare funding will at least make nursing homes less able to claim that financial conditions deter them from hiring adequate staff, and hiring staff with proper qualifications. I am sure this statement appears in other entries in my blog, so at the risk of repeating myself I will say again that understaffing is probably the single most important factor contributing to nursing home injury, abuse, neglect, and/or wrongful death. Nursing home injury attorneys see this over and over again when screening, evaluating and litigating cases. If you or someone you love is in a skilled nursing facility or assisted living facility, and you feel that there are not enough caregivers (whether registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nurses assistants, etc.), chances are you should be concerned for the welfare of the residents of the facility. If you feel that you or someone you love has been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, including any situation where that person has been injured or possibly killed through the negligence of the nursing home, I would be happy to assist you in determining whether you may have a claim against the nursing home. The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant handles nursing home, medical malpractice and insurance cases across North Carolina.