Protecting Nursing Home Residents of Milwaukee
On behalf of Milwaukee personal injury attorney Ric Domnitz of Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. posted in Nursing Home Abuse on Wednesday, October 3, 2012.
Nursing home residents of Milwaukee deserve to be cared for this respect and dignity. The old adage goes that we should respect our elders. Unfortunately, in practice it seems that in today’s society our elders, among the most vulnerable members of society, are often an overlooked and sometimes mistreated group. When the difficult decision is made to place an elderly and loved family member into a nursing home, families should not be plagued by doubt and worry regarding the care they will receive.
It is disturbing how often in Wisconsin we read of nursing home neglect and abuse. Recently, in a report focused on an out-of-state nursing home, several egregious violations were reported. One elderly woman that was living in the nursing home reports that when her roommate died, the body was not removed for several hours. The poor woman left in the company of her deceased roommate was severely distressed and eventually had to close a curtain to obstruct her view of the body.
Instances of sexual abuse, malnutrition and dehydration are not uncommon and were reported in this nursing home as well. In another out-of-state nursing home, one resident wandered off of the grounds when security features were not put in place. The resident could not be found for almost 24 hours.
Often, facilities cite begin under staffed as the cause of most infractions. This is no comfort considering that the elderly population is expected to increase four-fold by 2040. This is an issue that needs to be addressed to protect vulnerable members of our society now and in the future. Families in Wisconsin do have various means of holding nursing homes accountable in instances in which their family members are being neglected or abused.
Source: Petaluma Patch, “Multiple Violations Found at Petaluma Nursing Homes,” Karina Ioffee, Sept. 10, 2012
Our firm handles similar cases. For more information, please visit our Milwaukee nursing home abuse page. If you need legal representation for a case of nursing home abuse, contact a Milwaukee personal injury attorney with Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. for a free consultation.