Has a loved one become a victim of neglect or abuse in a Thomasville nursing home? If so, you are probably looking for some answers. So, we have created a website that will provide you with all of the answers you need to address this issue with the best possible outcome for your loved one and family. Although you should be able to find answers to all of your questions right here on our website, we invite you to contact us to arrange a consultation where we can discuss the particulars of your case. We can help.
Nursing home abuse refers to behavior that causes, physical, mental, sexual, psychological, or financial harm to a nursing home resident. Nursing home Neglect refers to situations where a nursing home or its staff members fail to provide the necessary services or care to maintain a residents physical or emotional well-being.
Can I file a lawsuit on behalf of my loved one?
In general, you must meet one of the following two criteria in order to have standing to bring a nursing home abuse lawsuit on behalf of your loved one:
- Be your loved one’s legal guardian or possess a power of attorney signed by your loved one to act on his or her behalf.
- Be the personal representative of your deceased loved one’s estate.
- Be a surviving, spouse, child, or parent of deceased loved one in wrongful death lawsuit.
Can criminal charges be brought?
Yes. When the abuse or neglect is particularly egregious and there are eyewitnesses or forensic evidence to support them, criminal charges may be brought against the wrongdoers. Examples of nursing home abuse cases where criminal charges may be filed include those involving sexual or physical assault, theft, and financial exploitation.
We are Schenk Smith, your Thomasville nursing home lawyers.
Schenk Smith is an award-winning law firm that represents victims of nursing home abuse and neglect throughout Georgia, including Thomasville and the surrounding areas. You are welcome to read our blog, watch our videos, and check out our podcasts. We also, invite you to contact us to schedule a no-cost consultation. We can meet you whenever you are available and no matter where you live in Thomasville––near Thomas County Museum of History, over by Thomasville Rose Garden, or close to Dawson Street Historic District.
Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect in Thomasville, Georgia – What you need to know.
Thomasville, Georgia is located in Thomas County and has a population of 18,706 residents. Of those, 17.40% are aged 65 and older.
What are some of the symptoms of neglect?
Nursing home residents are often no longer able to fully care for themselves and have been admitted to a nursing home because they are vulnerable to injury or death if not cared for or supervised properly. While nursing home neglect is not always intentional, it almost always causes danger, anxiety, and harm to the neglected resident.
In order to make sure that your loved one does not fall victim to neglect in a Thomasville nursing home, and how to deal with it if and when it occurs, you must first know what the symptoms of nursing home neglect look like. But, identifying these symptoms can be difficult. Sometimes the they are readily apparent. At other times, however, they are not so apparent and often go unnoticed.
That being said, if you have a loved one in a nursing home, you should keep an eye out for the following common symptoms of nursing home neglect:
- Bedsores
- Repeated falls
- Broken bones
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Infection (sepsis)
- A sudden change in your loved one’s medical condition
- Changes in your loved one’s behavior
- Rapid weight loss
Nursing homes often want us to believe that these are all simply signs of growing old. But, the reality is these symptoms are more often than not signs that a resident is being neglected.
Which bodily injuries are most common in nursing homes?
The two most common bodily injuries in nursing homes are:
- Bedsores; and
- Fractures
Bedsores, also known as pressure sores, are the result of a patient lying or sitting in the same position for a long period of time without any relief from the pressure being put on certain areas of the body. Bedsores can be life-threatening if not identified and treated early. The parts of the body where bedsores most often develop are the buttocks, lower back, shoulder blades, and heels.
Although, there has recently been a rise in the number of unexplained fractures occurring to nursing home residents, falls remain the number one cause of fractures in nursing homes across the country. Falls that result in fractures typically occur when proper patient assistance protocols aren’t followed by nursing home staff members and already frail patients try to move about on their own, for instance, to use the bathroom, get out of bed, etc.
Liability for injury to vulnerable nursing home residents lies primarily with the institution itself. However, the individual caregivers involved may also be liable for injuries caused by their own negligence, including the owners and employees of the facility, social workers, as well as, medical and nursing staff, among others.
What causes neglect?
The overall causes of most nursing home neglect are understaffing and corporate greed. A decrease in staffing relates directly to corporate profits. As staffing levels go down, profits go up for the corporation that owns the nursing home.
Frail elderly patients often need assistance with a variety of tasks during their daily life, like going to the bathroom, repositioning themselves, and even eating and drinking. But, when staffing levels decrease, so does the amount of assistance a resident receives with these needs.
Nursing homes that are driven by money will often put profits over resident care. This isn’t simply a theory––the relationship between quality of care and staffing levels has been the subject of much research. Studies have confirmed that this relationship is not just a theory, it is a reality.
While there are laws that regulate the amount of staff a nursing home must have, these laws are limited in nature. Whats’s more, the penalties levied for violating these laws often amount to only a slap on the wrist and a small cost of doing business for wealthy nursing home corporations.
For a free legal consultation with a Nursing Home Abuse lawyer serving Thomasville, call (678) 823-7678
My loved one was hurt in a Thomasville nursing home – What do I do next?
If your loved one was severely injured or passed away at a Thomasville, Georgia nursing home, then we recommend that you act as soon as possible to protect your loved one’s rights.
First, report the incident to the appropriate Georgia authorities
Georgia Department of Community Health
The Georgia Department of Community Health’s Healthcare Facility Regulation investigates nursing homes for neglect and abuse. Their offices also regulate and certify nursing homes in Georgia.
You can file a complaint with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation online by clicking this link. Here is additional contact information:
Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation
Complaint Hotline: (800) 878-6442
Complaint Fax: (404) 657-5731
Georgia Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman
You may also wish to file a complaint with the Georgia Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Long-Term Care Ombudsmen are trained and designated professionals who deal with complaints made by, or on behalf of, residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
You can file a complaint with the Georgia Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman online by clicking on this link. Here is additional contact information:
South Region – Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
335 W. Society Ave.
Albany, Ga. 31701
Tel: (229) 432-1124
Fax: (229) 446-7899
You may also report physical assault or abuse to local law enforcement
Whenever nursing home abuse or neglect is presumed, it needs to be immediately reported to the appropriate authorities. Some forms of abuse or neglect may indicate widespread institutional criminal conduct at the facility and should be brought to the attention of the District Attorney’s Office: Southern Judicial District.
For abuse occurring in a Thomasville, Georgia nursing home, report the crime to the Police Department of Thomasville or to the Thomas County Sheriff’s Department.
City of Thomasville Police Department
921 Smith Ave,
Thomasville, GA 31792
Telephone: (229) 227-3249
Thomas County Sheriff
921 Smith Ave
Thomasville, GA 31792
Telephone: (229) 225-3300
District Attorney’s Office: Southern Judicial District
225 N Broad St, Ste 2
Thomasville, GA 31792
Telephone: (229) 226-6141
Find another facility for your loved one.
If your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect in their current nursing home, or if you just don’t feel that the facility can provide the care they need, it is time to seek a better nursing home for your loved one. However, with regard to the cost, location, and the facility’s ability to provide the type of care your loved one needs, it can take a lot of work to find a nursing home that is best suited for them.
To make the task less daunting, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have created the Nursing Home Compare Website. Nursing Home Compare is an online tool to help family members evaluate and select a nursing home that best fits their loved one’s needs. It uses a five-star rating system to compare nursing homes across the country and provides comprehensive information on the quality of care provided by each facility.
Click here to go to the Nursing Home Compare Website.
For your convenience, a list of all nursing homes located within Thomasville, Georgia is located below, along with their contact information and inspection scores.
Get the medical records from the hospital and the nursing home.
In a nursing home abuse or neglect case, your loved one’s medical records are the most conclusive evidence you can offer to support your claim for compensation. Without solid documentation of your loved one’s injuries and treatment, you may have no foundation upon which to negotiate a settlement or build a lawsuit.
Insurance providers will want to scrutinize your loved ones medical records along with other documents to determine the nature and extent of the treatment your loved one received and to evaluate allegations of error, neglect, or injury before they decide how much to offer you to settle the lawsuit.
It is therefore important that you have access to these medical records. This will most often require you to have a Durable Power of Attorney or Health Care directive drawn up and signed by your loved one, or to have been appointed your loved one’s Legal Guardian.
If your loved one suffered injuries in a Thomasville, Georgia nursing home, they were probably taken to the following hospital to be treated. Use the information below to request your loved one’s medical records.
Begin the probate process if your loved one has passed away.
If your loved one has passed away as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect, a lawsuit may still be brought against the nursing home to recover damages related to the abuse, neglect, or for his or her wrongful death. In many cases, this will require you to first probate your loved one’s estate to acquire the legal standing to bring the lawsuit.
Once a probate estate has been opened, either the executor or administrator (the person who has been appointed to manage your loved one’s estate) will then have the authority to act on behalf of the estate, including bringing a lawsuit against the nursing home and then distributing the proceeds to the estate’s beneficiaries.
A probate case will need to be started in the probate court of the county where your loved one died. Usually, this will be the county where the nursing home was situated. If your loved one died in Thomasville, GA., a probate case will need to be opened in Thomas County.
Click here for the Thomas County Probate Court.
Thomas County Probate Court
325 North Madison St
Thomasville, GA 31799
Thomasville Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me (678) 823-7678
Nursing Homes in Thomasville, Georgia
Are you searching for a quality nursing home? Each nursing home varies with regard to the type and quality of service it provides. What follows is a selection of nursing homes in Thomasville, Georgia, including essential information for each one. This list was compiled by referencing CMS’ Nursing Home Compare Website.
| Camellia Gardens Of Life Care 804 South Broad Street Box 1959 | Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 (Average) Number of Beds: 83 Number of Residents: 74.8 RN hours per resident per day: 18min (GA Avg: 24 min) |
| Health Inspections Rating: 2 out of 5 (Below Average) Staff Rating: 3 out of 5 (Average) Quality Measure Rating: 5 out of 5 (Much Above Average) Most Recent Health Inspection Date: 01-18-2018 Number of Health Citations: 2 Average Number of Health Citations in Georgia: 3.2 Number of Complaints in previous 3 years resulting citation: 2 Federal fines in previous 3 years: 0 | |
| Rose City Health And Rehabilitation Center 930 South Broad St. | Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 (Much Above Average) Number of Beds: 68 Number of Residents: 64 RN hours per resident per day: 35min (GA Avg: 24 min) |
| Health Inspections Rating: 4 out of 5 (Above Average) Staff Rating: 3 out of 5 (Average) Quality Measure Rating: 5 out of 5 (Much Above Average) Most Recent Health Inspection Date: 01-04-2018 Number of Health Citations: 0 Average Number of Health Citations in Georgia: 3.2 Number of Complaints in previous 3 years resulting citation: 1 Federal fines in previous 3 years: 0 | |
| Thomasville Health & Rehab, LLC 120 Skyline Drive | Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 (Much Below Average) Number of Beds: 52 Number of Residents: 45.3 RN hours per resident per day: 23min (GA Avg: 24 min) |
| Health Inspections Rating: 1 out of 5 (Much Below Average) Staff Rating: 3 out of 5 (Average) Quality Measure Rating: 2 out of 5 (Below Average) Most Recent Health Inspection Date: 06-16-2017 Number of Health Citations: 7 Average Number of Health Citations in Georgia: 3.2 Number of Complaints in previous 3 years resulting citation: 6 Federal fines in previous 3 years: 1 ($3,445 fine on 08-20-2015) | |
| Glenn-Mor Nursing Home 10629 U.S. Highway 19 South | Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 (Much Above Average) Number of Beds: 64 Number of Residents: 58.2 RN hours per resident per day: 33min (GA Avg: 24 min) |
| Health Inspections Rating: 5 out of 5 (Much Above Average) Staff Rating: 4 out of 5 (Above Average) Quality Measure Rating: 4 out of 5 (Above Average) Most Recent Health Inspection Date: 08-06-2017 Number of Health Citations: 0 Average Number of Health Citations in Georgia: 3.2 Number of Complaints in previous 3 years resulting citation: 0 Federal fines in previous 3 years: 0 | |
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Why Choose Schenk Smith as your Nursing Home Lawyers?
Our law firm limits its practice to nursing home abuse and neglect cases because we are extremely passionate about helping those who have been victimized by nursing homes that put profits above patient care.
We have seen first-hand, the systematic disregard for the well-being of nursing home residents. Before becoming an attorney, founding partner Schenk Firm worked as a certified nursing assistant for almost a decade in a number of nursing home facilities across Georgia.
We can put this unique perspective to work for you and your loved one.
Need more reasons why?
- We Are Recognized As Leaders In Our industry: Attorneys Rob Schenk and Schenk Firm are acknowledged by the Georgia legal community as industry leaders, not only because they have been recognized as Rising Stars by Super Lawyers––one of the nation’s leading attorney rating services––but because they endeavor to educate the public on the serious issues facing one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations, elderly nursing home residents.
- We Take Great Pride In The Level Of Service We Provide: We are consistently ranked as the #1 Google reviewed law firm that deals exclusively with nursing home abuse and neglect cases in the State of Georgia. We encourage you to have a look at what our clients have to say about us.
If your loved one was injured or died in a Columbus, Georgia nursing home, please call us at Schenk Smith (678) 823-7678 for a free consultation. You can also check out hundreds of video FAQs on our website.
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