South Carolina Lawyer Blog

The family of an elderly woman suffering from Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's disease and several other conditions, received $91.5 million in damages from a Charleston, West Virginia nursing home. The elderly woman was a patient for just three weeks at Heartland of Charleston nursing home where the workers failed to feed and care for her leading to her death just one day after transferring to another facility.

The lawsuit alleged that while living with her son, the woman's health had improved to where she could walk, speak and recognize family members. However, when she was checked into Heartland the staff confined the woman to a wheelchair, labeling her a fall risk.

The family’s lawyer argued that Heartland did not have enough staff to properly care for the woman and the other patients. Some former Heartland workers testified properly caring for all of the residents was impossible.

Heartland of Charleston is owned by ManorCare Inc, the parent company named in the lawsuit.

Many experts estimate nursing home patient neglect or abuse is grossly underreported. If you or someone you care about has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact a qualified nursing home injury attorney at Louthian Law Firm today. Call toll free at (866) 454-1200 or use our online contact form for a free evaluation of your case.

Nursing Home Neglect

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A 92-year-old man died at what was previously known as Harborside of Madisonville Nursing Home after being a resident for only nine days. His family alleged he died of complications from dehydration and pressure ulcers which were caused by neglect.

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The family of a man who died four years at a Georgia nursing home have been awarded $1.25 million after a DeKalb County jury concluded that nursing home neglect was responsible for the man's death. Tucker Nursing Center allegedly provided inadequate care to the man when he was admitted in 2002 at the age of 67. Nine months later, he had to be hospitalized for a bedsore that infected his left buttock to the bone, said his attorney, and ultimately put him in a death spiral. He died in June 2004.

Elderly people are entitled to basic safety, respect and dignity. If you or someone you love is a victim of elder abuse or nursing home abuse, you have the right to hold the abuser responsible in court. The Louthian Law Firm has represented injured South Carolinians in elder abuse lawsuits and other personal injury suits since 1959. With our firm on the case, you can rest assured that you'll get the extensive experience and personalized attention you deserve. For a free consultation, call our Columbia office today at 1-866-410-5656.

Nursing Home Neglect Verdict

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A new federal report found that nine of every 10 nursing homes were cited for violating federal health and safety standards last year. For-profit homes were more likely to have problems than other types of nursing homes, according to the report. Problems included infected bedsores, medication mix-ups and poor nutrition. About one-fifth of the complaints verified by federal and state authorities involved the abuse or neglect of patients.

Elderly people are entitled to basic safety, respect and dignity. If you or someone you love is a victim of elder abuse or nursing home abuse, you have the right to hold the abuser responsible in court. The Louthian Law Firm has represented injured South Carolinians in elder abuse lawsuits and other personal injury suits since 1959. With our firm on the case, you can rest assured that you'll get the extensive experience and personalized attention you deserve. For a free consultation, call our Columbia office today at 1-866-410-5656.

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A lawsuit that was filed against a nursing home by twenty-three families who had lost loved ones when a bus transporting patients exploded was settled on Tuesday, September 25th, according to an Associated Press Report.

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina ravaged the South, killing more than 18,000 people and causing more than 80 billion dollars in damage. So when Hurricane Rita threatened the residents of Brighton Gardens, a Houston-area assisted living community, a month later, the decision to flee the area seemed a wise choice. When the bus that was evacuating the nursing home patients exploded, however, the families of the 23 patients who lost their lives were left to question the decisions and methods of evacuation the home chose.

Continue reading "Nursing home, relatives settle Rita suit" »

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According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report the New York Times reported that nursing homes with repeated safety compliance problems usually face only minimal penalties from the federal government.

Congress established “stringent” standards for nursing homes in 1987, but a 1998 GAO report found that nursing homes that repeatedly harmed residents were not being sufficiently penalized.

According to the new GAO report, which is scheduled for release next week, nursing homes with a long history of harming residents still are not held accountable for the poor care they provide and some of the homes which repeatedly harmed residents over a six year period remain in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The report, which focuses on nursing homes with a history of compliance problems, used a California nursing home as an example. In that home a patient choked to death in part because a machine needed to save his life was broken. The facility, which was cited for more than 170 serious deficiencies, was still open in late 2006.

The GAO report went on to state that the Bush administration rarely denies federal payments to nursing homes with compliance problems and typically imposes fines that are much smaller than the maximum fine of $10,000 per day.

Continue reading "Nursing Homes Subject To Minimal Penalties" »

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