Elder Abuse
Nursing home abuse is a serious problem in Florida and has now resulted in the closing of a Jacksonville Nursing Home, Glenwood Nursing Center. In accordance with Florida Statute 440.022(O) residents living in a nursing home have a right to be protected from personal injuries resulting from mental or physical abuse. Due to an investigation by the Department of Children and Families, it came to light that such protections were not in place at Jacksonville’s Glenwood Nursing Center and on July 15, 2010, residents and their families discovered the State of Florida will be revoking the facility’s license due to such violations.
The abuse reported by Department of Children and families was not the stereotypical abuse we hear of regarding bed sores and lack of treatment, but was due to patients being injured due to the actions of other patients and injuries resulting from falls. A facility’s duty to protect goes beyond providing care directly to the patients, but also protecting patients from others that have violent tendencies. Over the years there have been reports of patients using their wheelchairs to injure others and the facility has failed to properly supervise and separate the offenders from the other patients. Patient on patient fighting should not be tolerated and the facility’s failure to stop such abuses shows negligence in training its employees to property supervise and protect its residents.
Other signs of abuse were those due to lack of supervision of patients leading to injuries from patients falling. While an occasional fall will occur, the number of falls in the last 5 years at Glenwood Nursing Center caused alarm in the investigation. One patient reported having multiple falls and related injuries since entering the facility. These types of reports have also led the state’s decision in the license revocation of Glenwood Nursing Center.
Jacksonville Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you or your family member has been the victim of violence in a nursing home and has suffered injuries as a result, it is important to speak with a Jacksonville nursing home abuse and neglect attorney about your rights and options.