Nursing Homes Often Hide Abuse

Little Rock, AR (Law Firm Newswire) June 12, 2013 – Nearly 3.2 million Americans live in nursing care facilities. Many are subjected to abuse at the hands of their caregivers.

“Many people are horrified to hear that nursing home abuse is quite common —- more common than we would like to admit. Of the 3.2 million Americans in care facilities, just about one in three of those homes have been singled out for violations and close to 10 percent of the residents have been subjected to abuse. The shocking statistics don’t end there,” added Michael Smith, an Arkansas injury lawyer and Arkansas accident lawyer, practicing personal injury law in Arkansas. “It has been revealed that virtually 91 percent of these care homes don’t have enough personnel to adequately and properly care for their residents.”

Ninety-one percent of nursing home facilities do not have enough staff to take care of their residents —- a figure so shocking it should make anyone think twice about placing a relative in such a situation. And yet, many have no choice but to do so, as they cannot care for them at home any longer.

The media is often rife with elder abuse stories, which are just the tip of the iceberg; the cases that were reported. For every case that does get reported, another three remain below the radar. “That’s just plain frightening,” stated Smith. “There is a never ending stream of stories showcasing the level of elder abuse in America today; instances of sexual and physical assaults, mental abuse, chemical restraints, improper administration of medication, or patients falling and injuring themselves when no one was watching them.”

There are many outstanding elder care facilities in Arkansas and across the nation. It just seems that the bad apples make the news more often than not, because those types of stories sell. “If you suspect, even for a moment, that there is elder abuse happening in a facility where a relative is living, contact an experienced injury attorney right away. Abuse must be stopped in its tracks,” emphasized Smith.

Learn more by contacting Arkansas personal injury lawyer Michael Smith at http://www.arkansaslawhelp.com.

Michael Smith
425 W. Capitol Av., Suite 3700
Little Rock, AR 72201
Call: 501.519.4357

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