Tampa Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer
Florida nursing homes have a duty to properly care for their residents. This should go without saying. Yet we continue to see reports of nursing home residents suffering from neglect.
The COVID-19 pandemic has only made this situation worse. Human Rights Watch reported in March 2021 that “[p]otential neglect and prolonged isolation may have caused serious harm to many people in the United States” during the pandemic. The report added that the pandemic exacerbated the problem of under-staffing in many nursing homes, a key component of neglect.
In their zeal to cut costs, many nursing home operators are also compromising resident care. That is unacceptable–and illegal. If you or someone that you love is suffering, an experienced Tampa nursing home neglect lawyer can assist you in taking legal action. Florin Gray is a team of dedicated Florida attorneys who represent nursing home residents and their families in helping to ensure that every resident receives the care they deserve.
What Is Considered “Neglect” in a Nursing Home?
In broad terms, nursing home neglect is when a facility fails in its duty to provide reasonable and adequate care to a resident. Although often considered a form of abuse as well, neglect generally refers to inaction on the part of a facility’s staff, as opposed to an action intended as abuse.
Some of the more common forms of nursing home abuse include:
- failing to provide adequate food, nutrition, and hydration (water);
- failing to provide necessary and adequate medical, mental health, or dental care;
- failing to monitor a resident’s chronic health conditions;
- failing to provide adequate hygiene care, including assistance with bathing, getting dressed, and using the toilet;
- failing to provide assistance with mobility;
- failing to provide a clean and sanitary environment for a resident;
- not responding to residents who request assistance or disabling their access to assistance;
- failing to maintain a safe environment in the facility; and
- failing to provide sufficient activities and mental stimulation.
As previously noted, nursing home neglect is often the result of inadequate staffing. Facilities may simply not hire enough people–or the people they do hire are inadequately trained and supervised. An assisted living facility may easily be overwhelmed if they have too few staff to serve too many patients.
But inadequate staffing is a cause of neglect, not an excuse for it. Nursing homes can and must be held legally responsible when they allow resident care to decay to the point where neglect becomes an accepted business practice. Florida law allows residents and their families to sue any nursing home that fails to provide a reasonable standard of care.
Don’t Delay, Contact Florin Gray
Documenting nursing home negligence is often a long and complicated process. That is why it is important to engage a skilled Tampa nursing home neglect lawyer as soon as possible. The attorneys at Florin Gray pride themselves on providing proactive, hands-on representation to all of our clients, especially during a difficult period. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
