Violent Resident-on-Resident Attacks Are Alarmingly Common in American Nursing Homes, and Facilities Are often Ill-equipped to Prevent Them:
Violent resident-on-resident attacks in American nursing homes happen all too frequently, and the chances of them occurring increases when facilities are ill-equipped to stave them off, says a Daily Montanan article.
Citing a PubMed study, the article says that nursing home residents with dementia are especially likely to be involved in incidents of aggression as a result of the illness’s impairment of memory, reasoning, language, and social behavior. Altercations ranging from verbal, to physical, to sexual resident-on-resident abuse can arise among dementia patients almost without warning, sometimes with serious, and even tragic results, unfortunately requiring the involvement of a wrongful death attorney.
Memory care homes and facilities with locked dementia floors promise safety and security and a higher level of dementia expertise for their patients. These often for-profit facilities charge extra for these amenities; however, when these facilities are inadequately prepared to handle the special demands of caring for residents with dementia, the chances of resident-on-resident violence increases. And when incidents do occur and injury results, nursing home malpractice has occurred.
According to the article, a number of factors equating to nursing home malpractice contribute to the increased likelihood of resident-on-resident abuse, including the following:
- Admitting residents the facility cannot manage
- Having too few workers
- Giving zero or insufficient training to workers expected to prevent resident conflicts
- Failing to properly assess incoming residents
- Retaining residents despite demonstrated threats to others
“The issue that we see quite often is that assisted living retains people they should not,” said Richard Mollot, executive director of the Long Term Care Community Coalition, a resident advocacy group. “They don’t have the staffing or the competency or the structure to provide safe care.”
According to the article, the environments within the facilities themselves may contribute to an increase in aggression, as double rooms, constricted common areas, and lack of outdoor access can encourage conflicts; moreover, the loud noises and frantic atmospheres within dementia care spaces can be triggering to patients.
“We can’t expect someone who is constantly and unfailingly disoriented to adapt,” said Tracy Wharton, a licensed clinical social worker and dementia researcher in Florida.
The article cites a specific resident-on-resident incident in Montana where one man with dementia died from a skull fracture after another dementia patent shoved him to the floor. The family of the victim secured a wrongful death attorney and filed a nursing home malpractice suit against the nursing home. The case went to trial before a federal civil jury, and the home was found guilty of nursing home malpractice
Combating Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death
Attorney Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting nursing home malpractice in Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes. No Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home resident should be concerned about being the victim of resident-on-resident abuse or live in fear of nursing home wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy has years of experience as a Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney. He is committed to bringing his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases to successful resolutions. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.
