When a loved one becomes ill or injured, most families in Pennsylvania have a desire to provide care for that person. Unfortunately, their medical needs often become more than family members can manage, prompting them to seek out facilities that can take care of their loved one. While it is a difficult decision for many to come to, they put their faith in nursing home staff to provide appropriate care. Unfortunately, some patients ultimately suffer from nursing home neglect and abuse.
Such appears to be the case at an out-of-state facility called Holly Lane Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. Visitors to the facility reportedly witnessed neglect and abuse years before state officials decided to investigate, resulting in sanctions that prevent the facility from accepting new patients. The report found that the facility was understaffed; patients received less than half the daily required care they would receive at a facility with adequate staffing.
One patient, a 28-year-old quadriplegic, was often left unattended and in soiled clothes; he lost approximately 70 pounds during his stay there. A nursing assistant reportedly told an investigator that because Holly Lane was short-staffed and required two people to help the man to the bathroom. Accordingly, it was easier to change him rather than assist him. His mother claims that he was hospitalized multiple times during his stay there due to negligent care, including for a lung injury and MRSA.
State investigators said that in the five days they spent there, they noted eight patients facing "serious harm, impairment or death" due to nursing home neglect. Unfortunately, this harm could result in expenses that may be difficult to handle, including the costs of treatment at a hospital, funeral expenses or the costs of having a loved one transferred to a new facility. To help ensure that others do not suffer similarly and to seek relief from the financial ramifications of such negligence, many in Pennsylvania chose to take legal action, filing a lawsuit against the nursing home facility accused of neglecting them or a family members. Such action could potentially help protect future patients in addition to helping with the financial complications they may face as a result.
Source: idahostatesman.com, "Mistreatment at Nampa nursing home began years ago, families say", Audrey Dutton, Oct. 7, 2016