“Trust” is an important word — because if it does not exist, the world will cease to function and everything will come to a standstill. We trust many people to do their jobs every day and every hour of our lives. We entrust our precious children to the care of school bus drivers, who we believe will safely take them to their schools. We trust that the bus or train we board will take us safely to our destinations. And we entrust our elderly loved ones to the care of nursing homes, which we trust will provide the best possible care for them – care that we cannot provide with the limited resources in our homes.
From what I’ve observed, sadly and unfortunately, many nursing homes around the country are breaking that trust. They are not giving their patients the care they need and rightfully deserve. They are not staffing their nursing homes up to standards so their employees have the time, energy and resources to provide the best possible care to their elderly residents.
Here’s one of many examples of this outright breach of trust. According to a news article in the Chicago Tribune, the daughter of an 82-year-old woman sued a nursing home accusing the nursing home of not providing her mother with care and supervision needed to prevent the woman from falling. The incident, according to the lawsuit, led to Minnie Burger’s death. The nursing home was very well aware of Minnie Burger’s problems with falling
The suit alleges that Lemont Nursing and Rehabilitation did not come up with a risk assessment or a plan to supervise Burger who suffered the fall May 11 and died three days later, the newspaper reported. And this was not her first fall either. Burger previously fell in September, according to this article. Not only that, but they neglected infections and even turned a blind eye when other patients physically abused this elderly woman, the article states. The Illinois Department of Public Health is reportedly investigating the death after the daughter filed a complaint.
Nursing homes are increasingly breaking that precious trust we place in them to take care of our loved ones. Since they care so much about money and so less about the helpless human beings they care for, I believe the best way to make them improve their level of care is to make them pay for their negligence and sometimes, outright abuse. If all they care about is their profit, then let’s hit them where they will feel it the most, in their profit. Put the fear of being sued out of existence in them if they neglect their patients. They’ll either take care of the patients or they’ll be out of business.
If you would like to discuss a nursing home abuse or negligence case, call me, John Bisnar. I would love to discuss it with you. Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys has extensive experience with nursing home abuse and negligence cases. Call for your free consultation. 800-259-6373.
My mom is choosing to move to an assisted living facility by the end of the year. With what it is going to cost, you’d think she was moving into the Ritz. No mom, the Ritz isn’t an option.