Elder Abuse Lawyer comments on Nursing Home Quality of Care Study

Boston, MA (Law Firm Newswire) February 6, 2012 – Nursing home abuse attorney Bernard J. Hamill says that a review of recent Quality of Care issues show that nursing homes nationwide still have work to do to comply with federal and state mandates for the quality of care for elders.

Hamill, founder of the Hamill Law Group, says a recent University of California study on nursing home deficiencies show that troubling trends remain. The study’s information came from the On-Line Survey and Certification System (OSCAR) data that are complied at annual mandatory nursing home surveys by states. Quality of care issues showed some troubling statistics:

146,000 deficiencies were issued to nursing homes for violations of federal regulations in 2010, indicating many quality issues in the nation’s nursing homes. 23 percent of the nation’s nursing facilities received deficiencies for poor quality of care that caused actual harm or jeopardy to residents.
43 percent of nursing homes failed to ensure a safe environment for residents to prevent accidents.
30 percent of nursing homes received deficiencies for failure to meet professional standards, 28 percent for failure to provide comprehensive care plans, 23 percent for giving unnecessary drugs, 21 percent for poor clinical records, 20 percent for failing to ensure resident dignity, 20 percent for poor housekeeping, and 19 for failure to prevent pressure sores.
Facilities with more RN staffing have higher quality of care on average. The average staffing levels were below the level recommended by experts.
About 90,000 residents (6.5 percent) have pressure sores.

The average nursing home received almost 10 deficiencies for poor quality of care and almost one-fourth of nursing homes had deficiencies that caused actual harm or jeopardy to residents.

The Hamill firm of Quincy, Massachusetts concentrates their practice on advocating for elderly nursing home residents and has a successful track record of verdicts and settlements including some of the highest emotional distress verdicts ever awarded in Massachusetts for nursing home abuse. The Hamill group encourages all residents injured by neglect in Massachusetts nursing homes to call for a free evaluation of their claim.

Consumers are also invited to use the many free nursing home consumer resources available at the Hamill law firm website and blog including our free guide to avoiding abuse and our guide on selecting the safest nursing home.

If an elder has been injured or died in a nursing home, they may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and or statutory wrongful death damages. Punitive damages are sometimes awarded under the wrongful death statute for gross negligence.

Attorney Hamill has 34 years experience advocating for injured people including those who have suffered from nursing home neglect, abuse or wrongful death. The Hamill firm represents elders victimized by criminal assaults, bed sores, falls from Hoyer lifts, sepsis and malnutrition. Hamill advocates for the dignity of elder residents.

For more information contact the Hamill group at (617) 479-4300 or use the Hamill firm website contact form.

Attorney Bernard J. Hamill
The Hamill Law Firm
36 Miller Stile Rd.
Quincy, MA 02169
http://www.Hamill-Law.com
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