Nursing Home Watchdog Gives Pennsylvania Failing Grade
When it comes to protecting Pennsylvania seniors from the dangers of nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect, a national watchdog group said the Keystone State is failing.
In fact, the national advocacy group, Families for Better Care, said Pennsylvania will get an F in report in a nationwide report that is expected to be released soon. For those following along, this is the second time Pennsylvania’s rating was downgraded – it went from a C to this year’s impending F.
In a new report, a Families for Better Care official said that not only is Pennsylvania failing when it comes to elder abuse and elder neglect issues, it is distinguished as one of the only states in the union that is stuck in a downward trend.
By way of background, elder abuse and neglect is an issue nationally. How big an issue? Consider this: according to the National Center on Elder Abuse, one in 10 seniors reported having been abused in the past year.
Here’s another staggering statistic from the group: about 95 percent of nursing home patients surveyed said they’d been neglected or had seen another resident being neglected.
What is elder abuse and neglect? It takes many forms. Elder abuse and neglect can be:
- Physical (think bed sores, restraint injuries, bruises, slip-and-fall injuries, and medication errors)
- Verbal (yelling, humiliating and threatening nursing home patients)
- Emotional (ridiculing nursing home patients would be an example. Isolating nursing home patients from those they care about, like family and trusted friends)
- Financial (bills going unpaid, money from accounts going missing)
- Or even sexual
But what can be done to combat elder abuse and neglect in Pennsylvania? According to Families for Better Care, staffing is one of the keys to quality elder care in the United States – something that directly combats the prevalence of elder abuse and neglect.
According to the recent news report, staffing is seemingly the difference among states that got good grades and those that got poor ones from the advocacy group this year. Families for Better Care says that’s because more staffing generally equates to fewer problems and fewer patients having unmet needs.
Take this analysis from ABC27:
- Pennsylvania state law requires 2.7 hours of direct care per nursing home resident, per day
- Florida state requires 3.6 hours of direct care per nursing home resident, per day
- The national average is 3.6 hours of direct care per nursing home resident per day
- Florida was given an A grade by Families for Better Care
- Pennsylvania is expected to receive an F grade
The nursing home abuse attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic are – and have long been – committed advocates for elders and their loved ones. Over the years, we have handled myriad nursing home abuse and neglect cases for clients hailing from the Pittsburgh area, as well as for folks throughout Pennsylvania and even nationwide.
This is what we know from our experiences in that role: Nursing homes defend against personal injury lawsuits very aggressively. They have expensive lawyers and employ the assistance of expert witnesses to help win their cases.
We can’t stress this enough: If you or someone you know are pursuing a personal injury lawsuit against a nursing home on behalf of an injured loved one, it is of the utmost important to have a skilled, experienced nursing home neglect lawyer on your side.
If you are considering taking legal action or filing a personal injury lawsuit, don’t go it alone. Call our nursing home abuse attorneys at Pribanic & Pribanic today at 412-672-5444 or toll-free at 800-392-4529 to schedule a free consultation of your claim.
