With more and more seniors going into nursing homes, there is not only an increased demand for nursing homes, but an increased attention on nursing home neglect and abuse issues. There is a bigger spotlight being cast on the way nursing home residents are being cared for and treated in these facilities.
A new study on nursing home care released this week ranks California the lowest of all states. According to data released by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, more than 8 percent of California long-term nursing home residents were physically restrained in 2008. More than 25 percent of short-stay nursing home patients in California had pressure sores.
Physical and Chemical Restraint in Nursing Homes
Bill Freeman, a member of the agency that performed this study, tells the media that it is not recommended to have patients physically restrained. In fact, he says, there are many better ways of keeping patients controlled. Another recent study by Medicare showed an alarming increase in nursing home abuse incidents involving chemical restraint.
Medicare statistics from 2010 show that 24.2 percent of residents in California's nursing homes were on antipsychotics. And very often, these patients do not need these drugs. Consumer watchdogs are saying that this trend of using chemical restraint to silence nursing home residents has become an epidemic in California. Both physical and chemical restraints are completely unnecessary and can be damaging to the health and well-being of our seniors.
Holding Negligent Nursing Homes Accountable
Medical experts agree that these drugs should be used as a last resort, and not, as the case typically is, the first option for the staff of a nursing home to exercise. There are laws in California to protect nursing home patients, including a ban on using medication for the purpose of discipline and convenience. The California Department of Health Services says a restraint must have prior consent and a physician's order. But, enforcement of these laws seems almost non-existent.
Abusing and silencing the voice of our seniors is unacceptable. Nursing home residents have a voice. Just because laws are not enforced in such situations, it doesn't mean that residents or their families should remain silent. If you find that your loved one is being chemically or physically restrained or abused in a nursing home, talk to administrators. Contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer, who has successfully handled nursing home abuse and neglect cases, to obtain more information about your legal rights and options.
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