There is some frightening news out of Florida lately, at least if you live in a nursing home or have a loved one who does. The realities of neglect and abuse have never been clearer.
According to an investigative report, inspectors looked at nursing homes in Florida and found a staggering 7,200 violations in just five years. And even that number only takes into account 54 different nursing homes. Though the report calls them the worst ones in the state, you cannot help but wonder how many other violations happen even in the best care facilities.
Moreover, the report claims that the government is not doing much to shut these nursing homes down and protect their elderly residents. They said that many of the facilities should be closed due to the numerous documented violations. To date, only two have closed as a result of the violations the investigators tracked back to 2013.
Do the reports and violations even matter to officials? It’s a valid question when 54 long-term care facilities commit thousands of violations and remain open. One has to question whether anyone is doing anything to help these vulnerable elderly individuals?
It could be argued that this fragile population is being ignored and left at the mercy of perhaps negligent caretakers with proven track records of abuse and neglect. If you think that your loved one has been harmed in any way, or that their death could have been attributed to the care they received, you can what legal steps you can take to pursue civil justice in the Florida courts.
