Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
Nursing home negligence and abuse is a huge problem in Maryland and across the entire country. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, this blog reported on Maryland nursing homes’ negligence and the devastating effects it can have on residents and their families. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has made matters even worse in many nursing homes. A recent news report documented the harsh realities of COVID-19 within nursing homes and how a widespread lack of safety and sanitation protocols has become potentially deadly.
The report discusses one nursing home that received a citation in October of 2019 for failing to “provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.” The report that accompanied the citation found that staff members would engage in shocking behavior—one, for example, used a soiled towel to wipe a resident’s buttocks and then failed to wash their hands before going back to work. In the aftermath of this report, however, residents’ relatives said that the home did not take steps to change their behavior. One woman discusses the care her 93-year-old mother received, saying that she could not rely on the nursing home staff to take care of her or keep her healthy, and witnessed her being injured or roughhoused. Once, she had to clean fecal matter from her mother’s fingernails or dispose of adult diapers left on her bed. Tragically, the woman’s mother passed away in early April from a COVID-19 outbreak that the nursing home failed to control.
The concerns discussed in this home are not unique. In fact, nursing homes across the nation and in Maryland have very similar problems, with substandard living conditions for residents and a lack of proper sanitation. This caused problems before the COVID-19 pandemic, but has worsened since the pandemic spread across the United States in March of this year, causing outbreaks and deaths among nursing home staff and residents.
It is important to remember that even in a pandemic, an individual who suffers at the hands of a negligent nursing home may still have a road to recovery against them through a personal injury lawsuit. Many nursing homes can be held accountable for their actions in this way and may be ordered by a court to pay those injured or affected money to cover medical bills, pain and suffering, and even funeral and burial costs in the case of a wrongful death. However, it can be intimidating taking on a large nursing home corporation, which often has large legal departments to limit their liability. Potential plaintiffs are thus encouraged to discuss their case with an experienced nursing home negligence attorney who is familiar with these types of suits and can assist throughout the process.
Do You Need a Maryland Nursing Home Negligence Attorney?
Contact the personal injury attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen, LLC, if you believe you may have a potential case against a Maryland nursing home for negligence or abuse. Our compassionate attorneys are committed to seeking justice for you and your family, and have experience taking on major nursing homes in Maryland. To learn more about how we can help you recover, call us today at 800-654-1949.