Ideally, a person would never have to consult with a nursing home abuse attorney because a loved one was abused; but all too often, their services are required because such abuse and neglect are far too frequent. Reports prepared by staff of the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee reveal that thirty percent of the nation’s 5,283 nursing homes have had reported instances of abuse and neglect. There were over 9,000 reports of abuse in just a two-year period alone. While some of the reports were simply one resident being slapped by another, nearly two thousand of these reports were serious enough to “place the residents in immediate jeopardy of death or serious injury.” Any form of abuse is unacceptable, should not be tolerated and should be vigorously addressed in court.
One nursing home resident who unfortunately had to experience severe levels of neglect and abuse was William Sealy. Sealy began showing symptoms of schizophrenia when he was in his fifties and it became dangerous for him to live on his own: Sealy would keep a notebook of license plate numbers and argue with himself. Concerned for his well-being, Sealy’s family placed him in an elder care facility in Prosperity, South Carolina. The caregiver there said that, due to Sealy’s condition, it would be best if the family avoided contact with him, and they complied. Much to the family’s regret, however, this would ultimately result in the death of Mr. Sealy.
After Mr. Sealy’s health began to dangerously deteriorate, he was admitted to the Newberry County Memorial Hospital by a caregiver from the Southside Residential Care Facility where Sealy was residing. Once admitted, doctors and nurses were shocked to observe his health condition. Hospital officials said that Sealy should have weighed approximately 160 pounds and that he had no chronic physical ailments on record. But Sealy weighed only 94 pounds and had multiple symptoms of abuse and neglect.
According to lawyersandsettlements.com, the nurses who admitted Sealy said that he suffered from “bed bugs, leg injuries, he had a toe that was rotting off, a toenail that had already rotted off, and his socks were on his feet for such a long period of time that his skin had peeled off when the socks were taken off. It looked as if he had not been bathed in at least a week and he had scalp disease.” Despite the intervention of the hospital, Mr. Sealy died shortly after being admitted. The nursing home’s owner, Roy Lee Bowers, was arrested in criminal charges and could also face a civil lawsuit from Mr. Sealy’s family.
If you believe a family member has been a victim of nursing home abuse, you may be entitled to substantial money damages. Please contact one of our Boston nursing home abuse lawyers at 617-787-3700 or, if you prefer, email us at info@gilhoylaw.com to learn more about your options.
