Kentucky Injury Law News
Placing elderly relatives who are no longer able to care for themselves in a long-term medical facility can be a difficult and emotional process for Kentucky families. Media reports about nursing home abuse and neglect are not uncommon, and one such story involves a Minnesota woman who placed a hidden camera in her 94-year-old father’s room after her efforts to get to the bottom of his deteriorating health proved fruitless.
According to news sources, the woman decided to take action after staff at the Forest Lake facility failed to adequately answer her questions about her father’s situation. The World War II veteran had been a resident at the senior living center for almost a decade when his health began to worsen rapidly. The man is legally blind and suffers from dementia, and the hidden camera placed in his room captured harrowing footage of his mistreatment and neglect.
The man requires assistance to eat, but the video footage showed members of the facility’s staff placing his food on a table and walking away. At least one member of staff was seen eating his meals. The camera also revealed that the man was often ignored for hours on end, and it captured images of him desperately trying to consume lotion from a bottle because members of staff had not provided him with anything to drink.
Attorneys with experience in nursing home neglect cases may be able to help families to avoid this kind of situation by checking the references of long-term care facilities and studying their violation histories. Patients receiving long-term care are protected under both state and federal laws and have the right to be treated with respect, and attorneys could initiate litigation against nursing homes when evidence of mistreatment or neglect emerges.