When an elderly person is placed in a nursing home or long-term care facility, both loved ones and state officials expect that they will be provided with both compassionate and effective care for the duration of their stay. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, as residents of these facilities are sometimes subjected to systematic neglect at the hands of staff members.
To illustrate the depths to which this neglect can sometimes go, consider a recent case out of Iowa, where a 20-year-veteran of the U.S. Navy was evicted from a nursing home for neglecting to pay his bill and left alone in an unfurnished apartment without furniture, a phone, food or his medication.
According to reports, the 65-year old vet was admitted to the nursing home in question this past summer after law enforcement officials found him living in deplorable conditions and unable to take care of himself.
Upon his admission to the nursing home, the vet was diagnosed with a host of serious medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, sleep apnea, post-traumatic stress disorder and even disorganized thinking.
Two months into his stay, staff members presented the vet — who had originally asked to be placed in the state’s nursing home for veterans but was denied — with a letter stating that he was going to be evicted from the premises for failure to pay for services unless the necessary arrangements were made before the stated date of Oct. 23, 2013.
Unfortunately, these necessary arrangements were not made, as the vet, who in addition to suffering from disorganized thinking was also prone to incomprehensible speech patterns, refused to help staff members sign him up for Medicaid, a step that would have ensured he could remain at the nursing home.
However, rather than continuing to try and get him signed up for Medicaid or make alternate arrangements, staff members at the nursing home made the altogether shocking decision to evict him in an entirely unacceptable, undignified and dangerous manner.
To be continued …
If you were injured or lost a loved one to nursing home abuse or neglecthere in West Virginia, consider speaking with an experienced legal professional to learn more about your rights and your options for securing peace of mind.
