The statistics may be staggering for many victims of nursing home abuse or neglect: at least 67 percent of all nursing homes in 2008 were operated on a for-profit basis, and 53.3 percent of those nursing facilities were owned by corporate chains. This explosion in for-profit nursing home care came about in large part due to the fact that Congress approved Medicare and Medicaid funds to pay for nursing home residents back in 1965.
Now, with the growing numbers of older Baby Boomers beginning to require nursing care, business is booming for many corporate entities blinded by greed rather than resident well-being.
The biggest danger to resident health and safety of all is understaffing in nursing homes. Corporations that run nursing facilities typically cut nursing staff hours and increase patient numbers for one simple reason: profits. In many instances, these companies will try to pretend that they do not have the funds to increase staff numbers, but this is often simply untrue.
In fact, a 2002 exposé covered by the U.S. News and World Report revealed that most nursing homes run at a 20 to 30 percent profit margin.
Further, the government approved an increase in Medicare payments specifically intended to increase levels of staffing in nursing homes: but the U.S. News investigation maintained that most of the money directed to nursing homes for this purpose is not used to bump up the numbers of nursing facility staff members.
The risks of personal injury to residents who are subject to corporate greed in nursing home care are many. Some of the most common issues are actually among the easiest to fix: if only nursing facilities employed enough nurses and nursing aides to properly care for all residents.
These dangers include:
- Pressure sores
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration
- Falls
- Contractures
- Medication errors leading to injury or death
Victims of personal injury due to corporate greed in nursing home cases can take action to seek damages from a parent company in the event of nursing home abuse or neglect. Our St. Louis personal injury law firm represents clients from Missouri and Illinois who wish to exercise their rights under the law to seek monetary restitution in a civil court. We can discuss, free of charge, those rights and how best to hold a parent company responsible for corporate greed in nursing home cases that have caused injuries or, in the worst cases, death to innocent residents.
Disclaimer: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
Source: “Reined In: Curbing Abuse of Corporate Power: Corporate neglect in nursing homes” by David Couch. September 2008, Volume 44, No. 9.