Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

Physical abuse is a major problem in North Carolina nursing homes, including such facilities in the Fayetteville, North Carolina area.  Over 2000 cases of physical abuse by nursing home staff are reported annually.   Battery (inappropriate touching) is the most obvious type of physical abuse, but this crime can also include putting the patient in excessive restraints or physically confining residents without a good reason.  

Physical abuse in nursing homes is concealed very easily.  Nursing home staffs will often explain away injuries by claiming a victim has fallen – not an uncommon occurrence among elderly people.   Even if they are explained, frequent bruises, cuts, sprains or factures could be a sign of abuse.  And it is important to know that sometimes a nursing home resident will concur with the staffs’ explanation of an injury simply because they have been intimidated into doing so.

The National Center on Elder Abuse says that nursing home abuse can be blamed in part on the hiring of poorly trained and underpaid workers, together with rampant understaffing.  Significantly, only 41 states require that nursing home workers undergo criminal background checks, and the poor pay often leads nursing homes to hire staff with bad histories.  Understaffing can also take a toll on workers, causing them to lose patience with difficult residents.  But whatever the cause, any form of nursing abuse cannot under any circumtance be tolerated. 

Physical abuse in a nursing home steals the dignity and security of already vulnerable people, turning their last years into a nightmare.  If someone you love has been subjected to physical abuse in a nursing home in Fayetteville or other North Carolina areas, Thomas Pleasant can help.  Contact The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant today for a free evaluation of your North Carolina nursing home abuse or neglect case.

Library for Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect:

• 12 Tips for Nursing Home Abuse, Neglect and Wrongful Death (A Free E-Book By Attorney Thomas Pleasant) [PDF]   
  Description: An e-book by North Carolina nursing home injury and wrongful death attorney Thomas Waitt Pleasant, outlining 12 tips for dealing withe nursing home abuse, neglect and wrongful death situations.
• Paper: New Opportunities to Imrpove Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment [PDF]   
  Description: International Expert Wound Care Advisory Panel paper discussing better practices for treatment and prevention of pressure sores/ulcers in the health care setting, including nursing homes.
• 2008 Nursing Home Improvement Plan from Medicare [PDF]   
  Description: Medicare's 2008 plan for improving problems in nursing homes in North Carolina and elsewhere
• Medicare "Bad Nursing Homes" List [PDF]   
  Description: CMS List of Nursing Homes targeted for high risk pressure ulcer and.or physical restraint improvement

Web Resources for Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect:

• American Medical Directors Association

  Description: The American Medical Directors Association is the professional association of medical directors and physicians practicing in the long term care continuum dedicated to excellence in patient care by providing education, advocacy, information, and professional development.

• American Medical Directors Association (AMDA)

  Description: "The American Medical Directors Association, the professional association of medical directors, attending physicians, and others practicing in the long term care continuum, is dedicated to excellence in patient care and provides education, advocacy, information, and professional development to promote the delivery of quality long term care medicine." This site will be of interest to anyone with a nursing home injury, abuse, neglect or wrongful death claim, and to lawyers in North Carolina and elsewhere who handle nursing home cases. AMDA's site contains clinical practice guidelines for problems like pressure sores/ulcers which are so common in nursing homes in North Carolina and elsewhere.

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

  Description: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the Department of Heath and Human Services website contains regulations applicable to nursing homes (including North Carolina nursing homes) that accept Medicare/Medicaid. If you or a loved one has suffered from nursing home abuse in Fayetteville or any other North Carolina city or county, this website may provide a good starting point to determine the rules that might have been broken.

• Gerontological Society of America

  Description: The Gerontological Society of America is a non-profit professional organization with more than 5000 members in the field of aging. GSA provides researchers, educators, practitioners, and policy makers with opportunities to understand, advance, integrate, and use basic and applied research on aging to improve the quality of life as one ages. This site may be of interest to anyone with a nursing home injury, abuse, neglect or wrongful death case, whether you are in North Carolina (Fayetteville, Raleigh, Wilmington, etc.) or elsewhere.

• Healthgrades.com

  Description: Provides information on hospitals and nursing homes. Use this website to help avoid putting your loved one into a bad nursing home and help avoid nursing home abuse and neglect.

• Hospital-Data.com

  Description: Provides information about healthcare facilities, including skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes)

• North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services

  Description: This division of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for overseeing North Carolina nursing homes, and is a critical player when nursing home abuse occurs. This site provides a lot of information helpful to victims of nursing home abuse and their families.

• North Carolina Division of Health Services Regulation

  Description: Link to North Carolina agency responsible for inspecting nursing homes in North Carolina. This agency is responsible for citing nursing homes for abuse, neglect, wrongful death, and other nursing home regulation violations.

The Law Offices of Thomas Waitt Pleasant, PLLC
427 Franklin Street
Fayetteville, NC 28301

Toll Free: 888-HELP-156
Phone: (910) 323-3250