Any abuse in a nursing home is unacceptable—whether it is emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, or physical abuse. Elderly loved ones who are entrusted to nursing homes and assisted living facilities are supposed to be cared for, not assaulted. Sadly, nursing home abuse in Florida and nationwide occurs more often than is even reported. Because abuse is underreported, we do not know every abuser. However, there are certain parties that are more likely to be behind the physical abuse of nursing home residents. These possible parties include:
- Nurse’s aide or CNAs - a certified nursing assistant, also known as a CNA, changes residents’ diapers, bathes them, helps them use the restroom, moves them from their wheelchairs into their beds, among other things. Because of the amount of contact they have with residents and the amount of time they spend with them, they are possible parties that could abuse elders. Unfortunately, many residents have been abused by CNAs in nursing homes.
- Janitors – some nursing homes run background checks on their employees, but fail to check a janitor’s background. However, janitors also have access to residents, which gives them a window of opportunity to hurt them.
- Nursing home staff members – sometimes nursing homes are understaffed, which causes stress on staff members. The staff members sometimes take their frustrations out on the residents.
Nursing Home Staff Members Face Charges
The staff of a Georgia nursing home and its owner are currently facing charges for abuse of elderly patients. While this specific situation took place in a neighboring state, many incidents just like this one have taken place in Florida as well. In this particular case, 21 current and former employees of a nursing home for Alzheimer’s patients face criminal charges for nursing home abuse. The abuse included:
- Restraining residents with bed sheets
- Striking residents
- Throwing water on residents
- Subjecting them to “inhumane and undignified conditions”
- “Double diapering” of patients to avoid changing soiled diapers
- Accounts of more physical abuse
- Cruelty
Sadly, some nursing homes like this one are unsafe due to lack of background checks that let staff members with felony convictions have access to residents. When nursing homes have lax hiring processes without background checks, or are understaffed, residents often suffer as a result. Abuse by a nurse’s aide, staff member, janitor, or even owner is awful and should never occur. When it does, those abusers should be held accountable.
For help pursuing a Florida nursing home abuse lawsuit, contact a knowledgeable Sarasota nursing home abuse attorney at Mallard Perez today at 888-409-3805 for a free consultation. Also, request your copy of our free book The Florida Nursing Home Abuse Handbook: Ways to Recognize & Prevent.