September 18, 2012
The National Center for Elder Abuse estimates that roughly 500,000 senior citizens are the victims of nursing home abuse or neglect each year. The figure is conservative though, considering they believe that many instances of abuse are never reported.
One Arlington, Texas, family took matters into their own hands when they became suspicious of the care their 83-year-old matriarch was receiving at the Heritage Oaks Nursing Home. According to MY FOX News, the family began to suspect negligent care when they noticed unexplained bruises on the body of the woman, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, and found she winced when people approached her for hugs.
The family had hidden cameras installed in the woman’s room and was shocked and appalled at what they saw. Surveillance footage showed workers roughly handling the woman while pushing a pillow behind her head. Another instance showed a separate worker pinching the victim’s leg.
While the family has spoken to management at the facility about the incidents and was assured that an investigation into the matter would be launched, no disciplinary action against the workers has been made public by the facility or law enforcement.
The Drug Injury Lawyers with Ferrer Poirot Feller Daniel believe every human has a right to quality health care and would encourage any family whose loved one has suffered neglect or abuse while in a health care facility to look into your legal options.