Wisconsin Nursing Homes Unsafe
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 666
Tags:
None
If you have a loved one in a nursing home in Wisconsin, they may be in danger. This is the frightening implication of a recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigative report which shows that injuries and deaths arising from nursing home neglect and negligence are on the rise here. The distrurbing report concludes that:
Health care violations that put patients in jeopardy or resulted in harm spiked 34% the past three years. Those violations involved injuries to at least 359 elderly or disabled people.
Dozens of homes are cited repeatedly for serious violations. Often, these homes assure regulators they are correcting problems only to have new ones surface. Many of the homes cited multiple times are owned by out-of-state corporations.
Deaths and injuries are occurring at a time of significant worker turnover. In one case, a problem home reported nursing staff turnover rates as high as 257% last year while it led the state in serious citations.
Families are often kept in the dark about citations issued after the deaths of their loved ones. Four families learned from the Journal Sentinel that serious citations had been issued months and even years after their loved ones were buried.
The investigation fingers Extendicare, a large corporation that owns 26 homes in Wisconsin, as a frequent recipient of citations and provides a list of the worst violators of federal rules in the country, which includes a number of Wisconsin facilities.
The article also provides a tip list with helpful suggestions for families looking to find a good facility for their loved one.
For those that believe their loved one has been injured through the negligence or neglect of a nursing home or community based residential facility, our office has successfully handled a variety of nursing home negligence and abuse cases over the years and we are happy to consult with families who are dealing with the sorts of issues highlighted in this article.