A Riverside nursing home, which is being sued on allegations of elder abuse and negligence, was understaffed and offers substandard care to its elders and their families, according to an attorney for the plaintiff quoted in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Pleasant Care Convalescent of Riverside was sued last week by the granddaughter of 81-year-old Ida Mae Davis. The suit alleges that during the three years she lived there, Davis suffered multiple falls, bed sores, malnutrition and at one point, was being prescribed physical therapy when she had an undiagnosed hip fracture.
The article by Patricia Jiayi Ho, quotes Davis’ attorney Michael Young.
“It’s our theory they are understaffed – the put their profits ahead of people. They make these representations that they’re doing good to take care of grandma and grandpa and they don’t.”
Young said the most serious problem occurred in February 2006 when Davis underwent 10 or more days of physical therapy for nurses notes indicate was “right knee pain.”
Subsequent X-rays revealed that Davis had actually fractured her hip during one of her falls. She was then taken to Riverside Community Hospital for hip surgery, where staff notes numerous bed sores and malnutrition.
The attorney also talks about an issue that has bothered me for a long time – understaffing.
Consider this statistic from the National Center on Elder Abuse in Washington D.C. There are nearly 17,000 nursing homes in the United States that currently care for 1.6 million residents – a figure expected to quadruple to 6.6 million residents by the year 2050.
The group, which is funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging , states on its own Web site that eyewitness accounts and surveys sadly show that nursing home abuse and neglect is a serious problem. What makes it even more serious is that there is significant underreporting. And what does the group say are the underlying causes of elder mistreatment?
1. Stressful working conditions, particularly, staff shortages
2. Staff burnout
3. Inadequate staff training
Based on what we’ve heard from news reports, the Riverside facility has shown all these symptoms.
Understaffing is a deliberate corporate strategy – to make more profit. But when nursing homes cut corners by not getting qualified trained people to provide good care, our elders suffer. An 81-year-old woman, most likely, had to endure unspeakable, mind-numbing pain for months. And unfortunately, it’s too common and happens way too often.
It makes my blood boil when I think how inhumane people can be and how solely profit-oriented corporations can completely ignore their inhumanity for the sake of making extra profits. These are the types of cases that Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys really enjoys pursuing, going after corporations, knowingly being abusive and neglectful to defenseless seniors.
If you would like to find out more information, visit http://www.elderabuse.org. They also list toll-free numbers to call if you would like to report such abuse or neglect.