Should Families Here Use Cameras to Stop Nursing Home Abuse in Milwaukee?
Family gathers evidence in nursing home abuse case
On behalf of Milwaukee personal injury attorney Ric Domnitz of Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C. posted in Nursing Home Abuse on Tuesday, August 27, 2013.
Nursing home and other long-term care facilities have a duty to care for their residents. This means making sure that not only are the residents’ needs met, but that staff are properly screened and trained.
Sadly though, this does not always happen and nursing homes end up hiring people who are emotionally and physically abusive.
Take for example the case of the 97-year-old great-grandmother who was living in a nursing home. The woman suffered from dementia.
About a year after moving into the nursing home, family noticed bruises. The woman also had two black eyes. When questioned, the answer was that she had fallen out of her wheel chair. Her granddaughter said she never believed this explanation.
Family ended up putting a camera in her bedroom and secretly taped staff. At one point, going by the recording, when she resists being changed, an aide makes fun of her and physically pushes and pulls her. The sound of a slap can also be heard on the recording.
The same video also caught another aide shoving the 97-year-old woman.
Since the recording, both aides have been fired and arrested.
However, the issue is that this type of abuse is not an isolated case and the nursing home population is expected to increase, which is why elder care advocates are saying more needs to be done in order to better protect residents.
In the meantime though, for family who suspect abuse of a loved one, know that there are options to holding the nursing home accountable. As soon as abuse is suspected, contact an attorney and start gathering evidence, such as statements from the resident, pictures of any bruises or marks, and the responses of staff upon questioning of what happened. The more evidence the better in building a case against the nursing home and its staff.
Source: CBS, “Eleven states get failing grades for nursing home care,” Manuel Bojorquez, Aug. 9, 2013
If you or someone you love has been the victim of nursing home abuse, contact a Milwaukee personal injury attorney with Domnitz & Domnitz, S.C.