Nursing Home Negligence

A recent search of the 300 nursing homes within a 25-mile radius of New York City shows 124 facilities with only a one or two-star rating under Medicare’s five-star rating system, which evaluates nursing homes based on health inspections, nurse-to-patient staffing ratios, and quality measures. Seven of those nursing homes have been cited for abuse, and two have no rating at all due to a history of serious quality issues. Yet all of those nursing homes are currently operating and accepting patients in NYC.

Nursing home negligence (neglect and abuse) can happen at any facility. Even nursing homes with high ratings typically experience high turnover, so the quality of staff can quickly change. No one, no matter where they are staying, should be made to suffer from neglect or abuse, and New York’s nursing home resident bill of rights guarantees quality care and treatment to all residents without discrimination, along with the rights to dignity, respect and a comfortable living environment.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home negligence in New York City, the law office of Leandros A. Vrionedes, P.C., is here to stand up for your rights, put a stop to the abuse or neglect, and make sure you are compensated for the harm done to you and get the care you need and deserve. Contact our experienced New York nursing home negligence lawyer today.

What Is Nursing Home Negligence?

Negligence generally means that some party (a person, company, or property owner) failed to exercise the reasonable care they owed to you. In the context of a nursing home, negligence usually comes about as a consequence of abuse or neglect.
Examples of negligent or abusive conduct toward a patient include:

• Physically slapping, hitting, kicking or punching the patient.
• Physically restraining the patient unnecessarily. Physical and chemical restraints should only be used for the safety of the patient or others and only under a doctor’s orders and supervision, plus only with the patient’s consent in most cases.
• Depriving a patient of food or drink.
• Overmedicating a patient, including administering antipsychotic medications, to make a patient more docile or easy to handle, but not for therapeutic purposes.
• Failing to turn or reposition an immobile patient in their bed or chair, leading to pressure ulcers (bedsores).
• Failing to address a patient’s cleanliness and hygiene needs.
• Failure to refer a patient for medical evaluation when called for.
• Isolating a patient from others.
• Yelling at a patient or inflicting other emotional abuse.

Signs That Indicate Nursing Home Negligence Is Occurring

If you have a family member in a New York nursing home, the following signs can be indications they are experiencing neglect or abuse in the nursing home:

• Unexplained weight loss. This could be caused by malnutrition or dehydration, either because the patient is being neglected, or if food is being withheld as a punishment.
• Symmetrical bruises on both sides of the body on the upper arms, legs, wrists or ankles. This could indicate the patient is being forcibly held down, grabbed or restrained.
• Cuts, bruises, broken bones or other injuries that cannot be adequately explained. This could be due to physical abuse or if the patient is left unattended, bedrails are not in place, etc.
• Confusion or disorientation. This could be a sign the patient is dehydrated, malnourished, overmedicated, receiving the wrong medication or not being treated appropriately.
• Bedsores. Patients should not have bedsores if they are being attended to properly. If left untreated, bedsores can lead to permanent disability or death.
• Mood changes. If the patient appears to be fearful, anxious or depressed, this may be a sign of physical or emotional abuse, especially if they seem fearful of staff and are afraid to communicate with you.

You Have Rights as a Nursing Home Resident in New York: Leandros A. Vrionedes Can Help

People who seek nursing home admission for themselves or others do so because the individual needs a level of care they cannot get at home. Nursing homes are responsible for providing appropriate medical care and must also treat the patient with dignity and respect. Failure to adequately address a patient’s needs is negligence, and the nursing home can and should be held accountable for its failures and the harm it has caused. A compassionate and dedicated nursing home negligence attorney at the law office of Leandros A. Vrionedes, P.C., can help you do just that. We have decades of experience helping injury victims in New York get medical care and compensation when they are harmed by another’s negligence.

If you or a loved one has been harmed due to negligence in a New York nursing home, call Leandros A. Vrionedes, P.C. at 212-889-9362 for a no-cost, confidential consultation to share your concerns and find out how we can help.