Jury Verdict Award for Nursing Home Abuse

Many families may ask in desperation, "What can I do about it?" if a loved one is abused or maltreated in a nursing home. Many of these skilled nursing facilities are corporately-owned and some may not accurately and completely report on medical conditions that deteriorate without proper care and place a person's well-being at great risk. In Sacramento, California, a jury recently awarded over $1 million on behalf of an abused and medically-neglected senior citizen who was a patient. In fact, the jury also found against a local hospital for its poor treatment of the senior even before she was transferred to a long-term care facility. An award for punitive damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress is still pending. The elder abuse attorney representing the patient and her family reported that the lady had received only one shower and one shampoo in over 90 days at the hospital and transitional care center (another name for "skilled nursing facility" or "nursing home").

What can you do if your loved one is not being treated properly at a hospital or nursing home? The IS action you can take to hold the negligent persons responsible. Physicians, treatment staff, hospitals, and nursing homes can be held to account if they are provide poor care, or no care, and cause injury and harm to those who are under their care. If the malpractice or mistreatment is found to be intentional, additional punitive damages can be assessed. Intentional mistreatment can be in the form of elder abuse, infliction of emotional distress, withholding of indicated or proper medical care or treatment, or allowing medical conditions such as bedsores to remain untreated. An elder abuse attorney can provide a family with invaluable guidance and assistance in dealing with these egregious and unfortunate situations. The victim in this case was 85 years old. She surely deserved better care and treatment then she received. The bedsores that were ignored required surgery to correct. If you think that something like this is happening to your family member, an elder care attorney should be contacted immediately.