Sad stories are sometimes reported on the Pittsburgh evening news that describe the unsafe and neglectful conditions that children are forced to live in before they are taken by protective services and placed in new homes. It is a tragedy for anyone to suffer in a residence where their basic needs are not met, and children are not the only population that can be victimized by others through neglect. The elderly and those who rely on the support of nursing and care homes can greatly suffer when they do not receive what they need from their care providers.
Nursing home neglect can take on many forms. It may come in the form of residents not receiving enough food or not being given baths on an appropriate schedule. It can take the form of individuals improperly dressed for the conditions they must encounter and may occur if residents’ facilities are cluttered or otherwise dangerous for them to move around in.
Neglect in nursing and care homes can also happen when the staffs of those facilities do not give the residents sufficient attention. The failure of a staff to provide a resident with the right medications at the right times, or to ensure that a resident receives a treatment that their health demands, may also constitute neglect.
In some cases, a claim of nursing home neglect may give rise to a criminal charge. However, when nursing home residents suffer harm at the hands of those who are charged with their care, they may have civil claims for their losses and pain. Those claims may allow them to recover damages that may support their recoveries and may be used to help them move their lives forward.