Tampa Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer

Nursing Home Neglect Law

Residents of Florida’s Nursing Homes have rights designed for their protection, including the right to be free of abuse and to receive proper care, medical and otherwise. Recent changes in Florida law have left Nursing Home Residents even more vulnerable than before. Developing bedsores in a nursing home is unacceptable, where it is unavoidable (only in very few cases are they “unavoidable”).  Falls, medication errors, failure to respond to call lights can lead to injury or death.

There is no excuse for negligent behavior by the very people we entrust to care for our loved ones. If nursing home neglect or nursing home abuse occurs, then they must be held accountable. Our goal is to care for the victims of nursing home abuse and elder neglect victims and to prevent further abuse from ever happening again. There are many ways nursing home abuse hurts elderly people and dependent adults including:

• Failing to adequately staff nursing homes
• Failing to screen the hired staff members
• Falsely claiming to provide superior care, while cutting costs
• Cutting costs so much that the care is inadequate
• Abusive verbal communications
• Abusive physical handling on the elderly
• Negligent Security 

The Nursing Home Reform Act

The 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act usually governs Elder Law. It is a set of laws that created the minimum standards for the care in elder resident nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The Nursing Home Reform Act requires that all elder care facilities provide:

• Individual resident care plans
• Nursing services
• Social services
• Pharmaceutical and medication services
• Dietary & nutritional services
• Rehabilitative services
• The Residents’ Bill of Rights
• Facilities with 120 beds or more require a full-time social worker

The Nursing Home Reform Act also guarantees certain rights to nursing home residents:

• Freedom from abuse, mistreatment, and neglect;
• Freedom from physical restraints;
• The right to privacy;
• Participation in resident and family groups;
• The right to be treated with dignity;
• Freedom to exercise self-determination;
• Freedom of communication;
• Freedom to participate in the review of one’s care plan, the right to advanced information and notice to any changes in care, treatment, or a change of status in the facility;
• Freedom to voice grievances without discrimination or reprisal
• Accommodations to medical needs, physical needs, psychological needs, & social needs

Trentalange & Kelley, P.A., proudly fights for the rights of Florida’s disabled and elderly.