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Arkansas Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit
As attorneys that handle nursing home abuse cases, we understand how devastated you must be reading this post. Selecting the right nursing home for an elderly loved one is a difficult task. Arkansas law and statutes require that nursing homes provide skilled care for residents to ensure the physical, mental well-being of each one of them. Unfortunately, a number of reports point toward the abuse and neglect of residents in these facilities. Many such facilities are understaffed, which means not all residents have an attendant by their side. As a result, they are prone to suffer from avoidable injuries. The Nursing Home Reform Act governs cases of nursing home neglect and abuse in Arkansas, requiring care facilities to ensure utmost specialist care for the residents, failing which they can be sued for failing to perform their duty of care and violating the rights of residents.
Arkansas Nursing Home Resident Rights
According to Arkansas law, a nursing home resident has the following rights:
- Right to live with respect and dignity and in a comfortable environment
- Right to receive good care without discrimination
- Privacy in communications
- Participate in organizations and activities of your choice
- Access to a responsive complaint procedure
- Right to quality care and safety
Arkansas Nursing Home Abuse
If any of these rights is violated and there are signs of nursing home abuse, you can sue the facility for infringing upon the resident’s rights.
Arkansas Nursing Home Physical Abuse
- Broken or fractured bones
- Unexplained injuries
- Lacerations and bruises
- Muscle sprains
Arkansas Nursing Home Emotional/Verbal Abuse
- Nursing home staff or caregiver threatens the resident
- Resident shows signs of being frightened when a specific caregiver or staff member is around
- Resident fears being left alone in the nursing home facility
Arkansas Nursing Home Neglect
A friend, family member can sue a nursing home for being negligent in giving the required level of care to their loved one. Signs of negligence include:
- Bed sores
- Unexplained weight loss
- Dirty sheets, kitchen or bathroom
- Dirty clothes
- Resident hasn’t been bathed for some time
- Resident is left unattended most of the time
- Unsafe living conditions
- Lack of assistance in eating, drinking, walking, bathing
- Ignoring calls for help
- Poor hand washing techniques, which often lead to infection
- Withdrawal or isolation due to neglect
Arkansas Nursing Home Sexual Abuse
- Damaged, missing underwear
- Bruised/bleeding genitals
- Sexually transmitted disease symptoms
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, at least 5.9 million cases of nursing home abuse were reported in 2010 across the country, with 58% relating to neglect alone.
In a recent incident, the family of a 76-year-old resident of an Arkansas nursing home sued the facility for negligence in giving care to their loved one. The lawsuit alleged negligence on the part of the nursing home to take the elderly patient to the emergency room despite her complaint of severe abdominal pain. Unfortunately, the patient died a day later. The jury awarded the family a substantial amount for the pain and suffering the deceased resident had to undergo due to the nursing home’s negligence.
Your loved one should feel comfortable and be safe at the nursing home. Unfortunately, if they do not receive the same level of care at the facility, it is imperative to take action against them to hold them accountable for issues arising due to neglect or abuse and also protect other residents from the same negligence.
Contact an Arkansas Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer
If you or a loved one has experienced Arkansas Nursing Home Neglect or Arkansas Nursing Home Abuse injuries, please contact our team of lawyers today.