August 15, 2021 | Nursing Home Abuse
Over 20,000 people live in nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities on any given day in Kentucky. Most are older adults who require assistance and medical care that their families can no longer provide to them. Moving someone into a nursing home seems like the best option to keep them safe as they are nearing the end of their lives. However, as family member, it is wise to keep a close eye out to make sure your loved one is not suffering from abuse or neglect at the hands of the nursing home.
A woman advocating for nursing home residents saw firsthand the suffering her mother had to endure during her final years. She said her mother lived in a Louisville nursing home between 2012 and 2014. She had Parkinson’s disease and required round-the-clock care.
During the patient’s stay, she sustained a broken shoulder that wasn’t treated or even x-rayed for an entire week. She also suffered at least nine falls that caused severe, permanent, and disabling injuries and multiple urinary tract infections. The nursing home resident lost around twenty pounds due to malnutrition. The victim’s daughter stated that all the injuries and medical problems were from neglect.
Signing an Arbitration Agreement Prohibits Jury Trials
Most Kentucky nursing homes include a pre-dispute binding arbitration agreement in the packet of admission forms to be signed prior to moving your loved one into the facility. In most instances, you don’t have to sign it for your loved one to live in the facility. However, staff at your chosen facility might use certain tactics to convince you that it needs to be signed during the admissions process.
The advocate whose mother died in 2016 didn’t even realize what she was signing at the time. After admitting her mother to the nursing home, she said an administrator handed her one more form and said they forgot to have her sign it. Since she was in a rush, she signed without reading what it said.
Later, she found out that this document prohibited her from filing a lawsuit against the nursing home for the neglect her mother had endured. She wasn’t able to take her allegations public either. She couldn’t name the specific facility and warn others of the harm suffered by her mother while living there. Instead, she had to handle the matter privately.
Contact Our Nursing Home Abuse Law Firm in Lexington Today To Get More Information
If your loved one has sustained injuries from abuse or neglect in a nursing home, please call Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC for a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer or contact us online.
We will do what we can to protect your relative’s rights and seek the compensation they deserve. You and your family shouldn’t suffer any longer because of someone else’s negligent or careless actions. We know the trauma abuse causes and how much it can affect your life. You can depend on our team to fight hard for justice and remain by your side until we resolve your case.
Minner Vines Injury Lawyers, PLLC
325 W Main St #210, Lexington, KY 40507
(859) 550-2900