Nursing homes are supposed to provide expert care for the elderly and disabled, but the truth often varies from the image that nursing homes try to project. The two sisters of a soldier who served two tours in Iraq know this all too well. They have recently come forward with stories of how their brother has been severely neglected in a Kansas City nursing home that supposedly had significant expertise in caring for brain injured patients.
The solder was hit by a car in Kansas City after returning from overseas duty in the Middle East. The family felt that he required around-the-clock care, so they moved him to a long-term care facility in Raymore, Missouri. According to one of the man’s sisters, the quality of his care declined sharply after the nursing home was purchased by another company. According to the sisters, they often found their brother in urine-soaked sheets. One sister said that he is rarely dressed when they visit, despite having a closet full of clothes. They said that their complaints produced no action from the nursing home’s supervisors.
According to news reports, a Los Angeles-based company purchased six nursing homes in the Kansas City area: Redwood of Blue River, Redwood of Cameron, Redwood of Carmel Hills, Redwood of Independence, Redwood of Kansas City South, and Redwood of Raymore. A nursing home rating service gave three of the homes a single star out of five for quality of service. A recent state inspection showed that the home in Raymore had 23 uncured violations, about three times the national average. The findings included insufficient staff, infrequent bathing of patients, no FBI background checks on employees, and failure to administer pain medication.
Reports of inadequate nursing home care are too common. Anyone who is concerned about the poor quality of care that a loved one is receiving in a nursing home may wish to consult an attorney who is experienced in dealing with the failure of nursing homes to provide adequate care. A knowledgeable attorney can provide a helpful evaluation of the facts and give an estimate of the likelihood of improving the patient’s circumstances or recovering damages for nursing home abuse.