Palm Beach County Elder Neglect Lawyers Freeman Injury Law Home
Nursing Home Abuse in Pahokee
Who Inspects Nursing Homes?
In Florida, the agency responsible for overseeing and licensing nursing homes and other medical facilities is the Agency for Health Care Administration.
The AHCA publishes its findings about nursing homes on its website, where it also makes available lists of the most common deficiencies for which it cites nursing facilities each year.
Follow this link to view AHCA inspection reports on Florida nursing homes.
A list of the top deficiencies for which AHCA has cited the state’s nursing homes can be found here.
To report concerns about elder abuse in Palm Beach County, call the Elder Hotline at 561-214-8600.
Uniquely situated on the shores of Florida’s enormous Lake Okeechobee, Pahokee anchors what some call Palm Beach County’s “Other Coast.” The small community remains rural in feel, but is visually distinctive for the rows of towering royal palm trees that welcome visitors and residents to the city. With a population that remained just over 6,000 in 2010, Pahokee (a Seminole Indian term meaning ‘grassy waters’) has escaped the phenomenal growth that has propelled other Palm Beach County communities. Instead, Pahokee’s somewhat isolated location has enabled it to keep the quaint, small-town atmosphere of Old Florida alive.
At Freeman Injury Law, our experienced nursing home neglect and abuse attorneys know that even though Pahokee is removed from the bustle of the Treasure Coast, it can’t separate itself from issues that have become common to all Americans. Our experienced Pahokee nursing home neglect lawyers know that concerns about the care loved ones receive in our state’s skilled nursing facilities trouble people in large and small cities, alike.
When Florida’s Agency for Health care Administration reports that it has had to cite nearly half of the state’s nursing homes for deficiencies in the standards of care they provide vulnerable and elderly residents, the Pahokee nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers in our firm become concerned. Our experience has taught us that elderly residents are particularly susceptible to worsening health conditions, and we know that’s what they can expect when care is substandard.
SafetyForum, a consumer safety resource, points out that nursing homes – most of which are for-profit enterprises – operate in ways designed to maximize profits, not levels of care. Consequently, they are characterized by minimally qualified staff, understaffing, employees with insufficient training who receive low pay. “The ultimate result is serious and even life-threatening problems for nursing home residents,” SafetyForum declares. These can include the spread of infections, bedsores that can lead to development of sepsis, falls, malnutrition and weight loss, dehydration, and a host of other potential health issues. Our nursing home neglect and abuse attorneys can uncover instances of mismanagement and other factors that ultimately cause harm to elderly nursing home residents. When our investigations identify negligence or abuse, our firm is well known for its tenacious pursuit of justice for residents who have been harmed.
Our Pahokee elder abuse attorneys work to preserve the rights of vulnerable elderly individuals who live outside of nursing homes – in private residences or other accommodations. We know that neglect and abuse aren’t limited to medical facilities. They can and do happen everywhere. Estimates are that 2 million older Americans suffer from various types of abuse at the hands of people they should be able to trust – most often, caregivers or family members. Physical abuse may result in bruises, broken bones, or more severe injuries. Sexual assault can cause both physical and emotional harm. Psychological abuse, such as verbal lashing or intentional humiliation, can leave frail elderly individuals emotionally scarred. Abandonment can occur when caregivers simply decide to walk away from their responsibilities.
The Pahokee elder abuse lawyers in our firm know that one of the worst types of abuse is financial exploitation that robs an estimated 5 million older Americans of the money and assets they’ve worked a lifetime to build. Our firm is dedicated to providing our most vulnerable elderly citizens with the strong advocacy they need to fight back against abuse and neglect. When harm has been done, our Pahokee nursing home neglect and elder abuse lawyers will work tirelessly to hold abusers responsible for their actions. We’ll pursue any compensation available to those who have been hurt.
When you need legal advice you can rely on to put a stop to elder abuse and neglect, call Freeman Injury Law. If you can’t come to our offices for a free consultation, we’ll meet with you at home or in your nursing home. You pay us nothing unless we recover damages for you.
Freeman Injury Law – (800) 561-7777 -- Someone on YOUR Side
