While instances of nursing home abuse are usually shocking and horrifying, nursing home neglect can be just as horrific.  There are many forms of nursing home neglect which could cause irreparable harm and damage to a nursing home resident.  Sometimes the neglect could be minor such as taking a few minutes too long to respond to a restroom call button or forgetting to bring a request glass of water.  Whereas other forms of neglect could be more serious such as failing to rotate or reposition bedridden residents, or leaving residents in bathtubs for hours.  Any form of neglect is unacceptable in nursing homes and residents or their families should ask our Oregon nursing home neglect lawyers to check if rights were violated.

This is because instances of neglect could be a sign of larger problems at the nursing home.  Many times neglect means understaffing issues.  Nursing home understaffing is simply dangerous and can lead to serious personal injuries or wrongful death of residents.  Understaffing could also convert instances of neglect from minor inconvenience to potentially fatal mistakes.  

What is Nursing Home Neglect?

Nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities can be liable for nursing home neglect if it causes damages to a resident.  Nursing home neglect can be more difficult to different than other forms as abuse, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, or financial abuse which all usually generate some form of evidence.  This is because these forms of misconduct are intentional acts upon residents.  Meaning that the caretaker intended for the abuse to occur.

However, nursing home neglect is not as straight forward and there are multiple forms of neglect.  Nursing home neglect could be intentional and it can be unintentional. 

Intentional acts of neglect could be where a healthcare provider purposely leaves a resident in bed or in a bathtub to either punish, ignore, get back at, or even torture a resident.  This is a type of abuse, but it comes in the form of a knowing and intentional inaction. 

Whereas an unintentional act of neglect could be where nursing home staff did not intend to cause a certain harm on a resident but the omission to act did cause harm, such as honestly forgetting a resident in a bed or bathtub. 

Liability for Nursing Facility Neglect 

Whether nursing home neglect was intentional or unintentional, residents and their families who have been victim to any type of neglect may be entitled to compensation under Oregon law.  This is because nursing homes and its staff members may be liable for any act or inaction that harms a resident.  This is because nursing home residents are entrusted to the care and treatment of nursing homes and their staff, and harm caused to the residents could be the result of negligence.

Liability can be established through a negligent act or omission.  Nursing homes may be negligent in poor hiring decisions, training, supervision of staff, or other functioning of their facility.  This includes the grounds of their facilities if they neglect to properly maintain it.  Nursing homes are also vicariously liable for the actions of their employees committed within the scope of employment, meaning the negligence of staff members creates negligence against the business.

Nursing home staff members could be negligence in the malpractice care and treatment of residents, meaning they delivery services which fall below the requires standard of care.

Examples of Oregon Nursing Home Neglect 

Any form of neglect could result in serious personal injuries or the wrongful death of a resident.  This is because residents are already in a vulnerable and compromised position since they need special care, treatment, and attention of a facility like a nursing home.  There are many possible forms of elder abuse and neglect which could result in serious injury or death, and some of the following examples include the following:

• Leaving residents in bathtubs;
• Failing to rotate bedridden or wheelchair residents to avoid pressure sores;
• Ignoring resident’s complaints of pain;
• Not investigating claims made by residents regarding potential abuse;
• Failing to give proper hydration or nutrition to residents;
• Leaving residents in their rooms alone;
• Forgetting residents outside;
• Not providing medications or medicines to residents;
• Leaving residents stuck at dining tables;
• Failing to clean or change resident wounds;
• Ignoring residents; and
• Many other examples.

Bend/Portland, Oregon Nursing Home Lawyers

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect contact the Oregon Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.  

We handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.  

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take Nursing Home Abuse cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.