Protecting loved ones from harm not always possible

January 23, 2018
Kevin Tharpe

When Georgia families make decisions to seek assisted living care for aging parents, they may face many challenges trying to find facilities that are best suited to their family members’ needs. Protecting loved ones and ensuring they receive quality care is at the top of most people’s lists of priorities when researching nursing homes in their areas. The bottom line is that the majority of the time, the loved one is going to be out of sight from other family members; therefore, it takes a lot of confidence in staff members’ abilities and priorities to entrust a mother or father to their care.

When things go wrong, they sometimes go very wrong. Adult children may be left feeling helpless and angry when a parent suffers neglect or abuse in a nursing home. Physical injury might not have been caused directly by a staff member. That does not necessarily mean, however, that the facility would not be financially responsible for any harm that comes to a resident in its care.

An incident in another state resulted in a nursing home getting shut down for months. Video surveillance reportedly showed a 52-year-old resident physically pummeling an 86-year-old resident whom he accused of eating his cupcake. The nursing home where the attack took place has been sanctioned several times in the past few years for various protocol violations and neglect of patients.

When physical injuries come to family members in Georgia nursing homes or facilities elsewhere in the nation, protecting loved ones may choose to pursue justice against those deemed responsible. An experienced attorney well-versed in elder law can assist anyone considering filing a legal claim against one or more parties in the aftermath of a nursing home incident.  The process is typically initiated with a request for private consultation to review a case.

Source: CNN, “Retirement home shut down months after attack on 86-year-old“, Elizabeth Cohen, Michael Nedelman, Dec. 28, 2017

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Kevin Tharpe

With 25 years of experience, Kevin understands how estate planning, special needs planning, and government benefits programs work together. This is a crucial element of a thorough plan. He explains your eligibility for benefits programs and ensures that you do not make costly mistakes that may disqualify you or deplete your assets.

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