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Elder Abuse & Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing Home Resident Abandonment
Nursing home residents should never be left unattended for any significant period of time. A facility nurse or nurse’s aide should be readily available if a resident is in need of care or treatment. Under no circumstances should a nursing home resident be left unattended for a prolonged period of time and deprived of such basic needs such as food, water, proper medical care, clothing, or shelter. If this occurs, the resident is being abandoned and nursing home neglect has occurred.
Identifying Resident Abandonment
Abandonment can happen anywhere inside or outside the nursing home facility. It commonly occurs right in a resident’s room. Nursing home abuse attorney, Brian P. Murphy, is familiar with many different types of abandonment. Some of these include:
- Residents being left for prolonged periods without food or water
- Residents not being provided time care or treatment
- Residents not being turned and repositioned
- Residents not being provided proper hygiene care
- Residents being left in a wheelchair for extended periods
- Residents not being properly supervised
- Residents left lying for extended periods on soiled sheets or in dirty diapers.
Philadelphia / PA and NJ Nursing home abuse attorney, Brian P. Murphy, has found that elderly nursing home residents who have difficulty verbally communicating or reaching for a call bell are the most vulnerable to abandonment. Such residents can easily be lost in the shuffle or intentionally ignored especially when a nursing home is not sufficiently staffed. Unfortunately, understaffed nursing homes is a common problem in Philadelphia / Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes and, when it occurs, it incidents resident abandonment rises.
Regulations Against Nursing Home Resident Abandonment
The nursing home industry is highly regulated on both the federal and state levels. Abandoning nursing home residents is in violation of federal, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey laws and regulations.
Under federal regulations, nursing home residents have a right to “an environment that maintains or enhances [their] dignity and respect in full recognition of his or her individuality.”
In New Jersey, state regulations require that a nursing home resident have the right to “a safe and decent living environment and considerate and respectful care…”
Likewise, Pennsylvania regulations require that a nursing home resident receive “dignity” and “respect” when residing there.
Abandoning nursing home residents does not provide them the dignity and respect they are entitled to under state and federal law. Rather, nursing home resident abandonment deprives nursing home residents of basic care and treatment, puts vulnerable elderly residents is fear and often leads to serious injuries and even death.
Determining if Your Loved One Has Been Abandoned
If you suspect your loved one is being abandoned at his or her Philadelphia / PA or NJ nursing home, ask yourself the following questions:
· Is your loved one often alone when you arrive?
· Have you ever noticed his or her food left untouched on the night stand?
· Is he or she often wearing the same clothes?
· Is the staff unresponsive to the call bell?
· Is your loved one ever left lying in a wet or soiled diaper or sheets?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then nursing home resident abandonment may have occurred. You should contact an experienced nursing home attorney to investigate your case.
Nursing home abuse attorney, Brian P. Murphy, will provide a free one-on-one case evaluation. If Mr. Murphy believes you have a case he will conduct a thorough investigation of all claims. As an experienced nursing home attorney, Mr. Murphy has filed many nursing home abuse and neglect cases. He understands the nursing home industry and the laws that govern it. If your loved one has suffered from nursing home abuse or neglect he can help you hold the wrongdoing nursing home accountable.
Contact a Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney
Brian P. Murphy is an experienced and well-regarded nursing home abuse attorney who has successfully represented many elderly Phildaelphia / PA and NJ nursing home residents subjected to nursing home abuse and neglect. Mr. Murphy handles cases throughout all counties of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and practices law at an established law firm in Trenton. If you see signs of nursing home abuse or neglect, take immediate action today. Contact nursing home abuse attorney, Brian P. Murphy for a free one-on-one consultation.
All Philadelphia / Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing home abuse and neglect cases are billed on a contingency fee basis. All Philadelphia / Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing home abuse cases are personally handled by Brian Murphy.
Please read the testimonial page if you wish to learn about Mr. Murphy’s former clients’ experiences with him.
* Nothing on this website is to be construed as attorney advice or otherwise creating an attorney-client relationship.
