Nursing home cases of neglect blamed on dementia

Nursing home residents engage in fights regularly, but many of their behaviors remain unseen. The reasons why they misbehave are often misunderstood and misclassified. The patients may be blamed for violent attacks when the problem of institutional neglect is the cause. There are plenty of legal options for Ohio victims and their families to consider.

Resident-to-resident attacks

Incidents of abuse between nursing home residents are common in the U.S. Many incidents are ignored and underreported by top federal government agencies, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which is responsible for regulating healthcare fraud and abuse in medical facilities.

In some cases, much of the blame is placed on dementia patients who are regarded as aggressive, abusive and violent. In reality, the staff’s inadequate care and neglect of their clients is the main cause of these incidents.

Nursing home neglect is common in facilities that are understaffed. Dangerous, mentally disturbed patients get out of control and threaten or attack other residents. It’s also difficult to identify the symptoms of mental illness and monitor patients during all hours of the day.

Legal consequences

Violent events between residents lead to serious injuries and deaths. Victims and their families file personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death claims against the attackers and the nursing homes. They may file cases against the doctors, family members or caretakers who were responsible for the defendant.

Nursing home abuse and violence are thought to be caused only by staff members. But many incidents involve residents who suffer from mental illnesses. However, dementia and other serious mental illnesses are not diagnosed properly. As a result, incidents are wrongly blamed on the victims, and the perpetrators are never given the corrective treatments they need.