Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Waterbury, Connecticut
Tim Moynahan Can Help You With Your Nursing Home Neglect Case
in Waterbury, CT - Call (203) 597-6364
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Your Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Connecticut
If you suspect nursing home neglect or abuse in Connecticut, reach out to Moynahan Law for legal assistance. It is crucial that we protect the rights and well-being of your loved one.
When is Your Loved One Eligible for Compensation?
Neglect and abuse can show itself in a variety of different ways. In addition to verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, the presence of the following circumstances may mean that you and your loved one are eligible for compensation:
- Your loved one has experienced a preventable fall. While a fall might seem like a harmless accident, falls can cause serious injury in frail elderly patients. Nursing home staff are aware of this. It’s their job to monitor residents and prevent serious falls. Failing to do so is a form of dangerous neglect.
- Your loved one has experienced a lack of treatment or delayed treatment for medical problems. It is the responsibility of nursing home staff to notice when a resident is unwell and seek prompt, thorough treatment. Even common conditions, such as the flu or bed sores, can quickly become emergencies for very elderly individuals. Close monitoring is therefore essential.
- Your loved one has been given inadequate medical care. Examples of inadequate medical care include over or under medicating and making nursing mistakes.
- Your loved one’s basic needs are not being met. Your loved one is entitled to adequate hydration and nutrition, as well as a safe, secure environment. If he or she becomes dehydrated or malnourished, or feels unsafe for any reason, immediate action needs to be taken.
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Types of Negligence
Negligence is rampant in nursing homes because elderly residents either do not complain about mistreatment or are ignored when they do. This means that mistreatment is often only detected when the signs of neglect become clear. These signs include:
- Bedsores: Nursing home residents spend most of their time lying in beds or sitting on chairs. If their attendants do not move them regularly, they can develop painful ulcers on their backs, feet or hips. When bedsores go undetected and untreated, they can become infected and potentially deadly.
- Broken bones: The elderly are far more likely to suffer bone breaks and fractures after a fall, which means they should be always monitored closely. When nursing home staff are overworked or inattentive, falls and serious injuries are almost inevitable.
- Malnutrition: Nursing home residents who do not get proper hydration and nutrition are more likely to develop serious health issues. Therefore, the amount of food residents eat must be watched closely. In 2019, a nursing home in North Haven was fined after an attendant posted a video on social media that showed an elderly resident begging for food.
- Medication errors: Failing to administer prescribed medications to nursing home residents or giving them doses of prescribed drugs that are either too high or too low can be fatal. This often happens when nurses or nurse’s aides do not pay attention and make mistakes, but there are also alarming cases where elderly residents have been overmedicated intentionally to make them more manageable.
- Emotional detachment: Nursing home residents who only see their loved ones on rare occasions often feel isolated and lonely. This can cause their health to deteriorate rapidly, but kindness and interesting activities can keep them happy and engaged. This takes a great deal of work, and many nursing homes have staff who are either too busy to devote time to residents or simply do not care about them.
- Poor personal hygiene: Nursing home residents usually need help to complete basic tasks like brushing their teeth or taking a bath. When they are neglected, deteriorating personal hygiene is often the first sign. When the Associated Press looked into nursing home conditions in 2020, reporters found dozens of cases involving elderly nursing home residents who had developed debilitating bedsores because of soiled diapers.
HOW CAN I REPORT NEGLECT?
Doctors, psychiatrists, nurses and surgeons in Connecticut who witness nursing home abuse or neglect or suspect residents are being mistreated are required to report what they saw or suspect to the state’s commissioner of social services, and they can be fined up to $2,000 if they do not. Connecticut residents can report nursing home neglect by calling the Department of Public Health at (860) 509-7400. They can also submit a complaint to the department’s Facility Licensing and Investigation Section online.
When submitting a complaint about a nursing home, individuals should be able to provide information about the facility involved, the nature of the neglect or abuse and the patient who suffered as a result of the neglect or abuse.
The DPH gives confirmation numbers to people who make complaints about inadequate care in nursing homes that can be used to receive updates about investigations and sanctions. Connecticut residents can also report nursing home neglect to the long-term care ombudsman for their area by calling (866) 388-1888.
