Florida Insurance Claims Lawyer Blog

Our West Palm Beach injury attorney was saddened to read about an investigation by The Miami Herald this week. The story revealed how the investigation has uncovered a tragic and frightening trend occurring in Florida and most likely in other states across the nation. The state has closed down many mental hospitals, forcing the patients housed there to be relocated. With other mental hospitals filled to capacity, the state has been forced to relocate many of the patients into assisted living facilities that were originally intended to house only the elderly. Additionally, more and more mentally ill patients have been put into smaller areas, with some neighborhoods becoming havens for patients suffering from all kinds of problems.

The combination of patients with widely varying illnesses with each other and with elderly patients who are sometimes not able to defend themselves has created an explosive situation. Cases of rape, assault, and murder have been reported. According to an article by NPR, these problems are greatly exacerbated by inattentive, negligent, and often even abusive staff who fail to provide the treatment and care that their patients require.

In one neighborhood in the city of Lauderhill, Florida, a police officer is fighting back against these terrible conditions, doing all that he can to make things better for the people who live there. This particular area is has so many issues that police respond to calls from that location an average of once every four hours. That's six calls a day just for one small area. The patients in this area are often violent, but in some cases, when police have arrived, they have found already bad situations that were made worse because the staff members who are being paid to keep patients safe were sleeping on the job or otherwise unaware of what was happening.

Officer Tom Merenda does what he can to treat the patients with dignity and respect and to keep them safe. Sadly, he often finds himself protecting them from harm in spite of, rather than along with, the staff. On one occasion, police came to the scene to find a mentally ill patient who had stabbed another patient. The man was covered with blood and incoherent, as he had been for hours, because the caregiver on duty had slept through the incident.

Do you have a friend or family member that may have experienced Palm Beach nursing home neglect? Whether your loved one is an elderly patient or a patient who suffers from some kind of mental affliction, the staff members charged with caring for him or her are responsible for maintaining a safe environment, as well as responding quickly in the event of a dangerous situation. If your loved one has suffered any kind of injury or harm while staying in an assisted living facility, give our Florida nursing home neglect attorney a call to discuss what your options are and where to go from here. Patients who have experienced Palm Beach nursing home abuse or neglect may be entitled to compensation, which can help pay for moving them to better homes where they will receive the care they need.

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Florida lawmakers reversed course this week on policy changes that will affect people across the state. Although just a few months ago, the state legislature was considering removing some of the restrictions and rules that govern Florida assisted living facilities ("ALFs"), such as nursing homes for elderly or terminally ill patients. However, due to mounting complaints about Florida nursing home abuse and neglect of patients, lawmakers have changed their plans and are now working on new regulations that would increase scrutiny of ALFs and give the state more power to control the issuance and revocation of licenses.

Our West Palm Beach elder abuse lawyer knows that the patients who live in Florida nursing homes are all different. Some are in need of minimal care, such as help with meals and medications. Others are in need of more regular medical care, and still others require almost constant care and assistance with everyday tasks. Some patients are literally dependent upon their caregivers to keep them alive. When those caregivers do not provide proper treatment, the consequences can be terrible, even deadly.

In an effort to improve the conditions in nursing homes throughout the state, the Florida legislature is examining new ways to regulate the industry. Some of the proposed changes include higher fines for violations, more stringent testing and certification requirements, and more power in the hands of state officials to close down facilities that do not conform to safety standards.

The families and friends of patients who live in any kind of assisted living facility can also help ensure that these patients are cared for properly and with the level of skill and concern that their respective conditions require. If your loved one depends on the care of one of these facilities, you should be knowledgeable about how to tell whether he or she is being treated properly. One very common sign of neglect for patients who spend most or all of their time in bed is bed sores. Bed sores occur when patients are left in the same position for hours at a time, and the skin covering certain pressure points is worn away. They are incredibly painful, but patients who develop them often cannot move enough to even alleviate some of the pain. If left long enough, they can become very serious and cause infection. Another sign is weight loss. Some patients have been malnourished to the point where they are literally starving. Most importantly, do not be afraid to ask questions or to seek out opinions from doctors outside the facilities where your loved ones live.

If someone you love has suffered from abuse or neglect at an ALF, our West Palm Beach nursing home abuse attorney may be able to help get compensation for his or her injuries and to ensure that no one else has to suffer the same poor treatment. If you have observed any injuries, do not hesitate to take action. Although injuries are not always the cause of poor treatment, the best thing to do is to seek out the cause of injury right away so that it can be remedied.

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