Category: Assisted Living
Hospice Care
August 4th, 2017 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
Society glorifies people who never give up. Their heroic struggles end in professional, financial or personal success. We’re told that quitters never win and we should go down fighting. Though that attitude is key to getting ahead during our lives, for many of us in Maryland we need to switch gears as we approach the end of our lives. The focus should be on the quality of life, not just on lengthening it, and that’s where hospice comes in.
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Lorien Health Systems
January 6th, 2017 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
Lorien Health Systems is a locally run chain of ten nursing home and assisted living facilities located in four Maryland counties (Howard, Baltimore, Carroll and Harford). If you or a loved one suffered neglect or abuse at a Lorien facility we may be able to help.
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November is a Month to Remember Those Who Need Help at Home and for the Long Term
November 2nd, 2016 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
This month has been designated National Home Care & Hospice Month as well as National Long Term Care Awareness Month. If you or a loved one are receiving these services in Maryland, you understand how common they are and the number of people served. For the rest of us, November is a good time to think about how important these services are now and, given our aging population, how much more important they will be in the future.
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Genesis Healthcare Lawsuits
November 2nd, 2016 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
A Nursing Home Lawyer Can Stop Abuse and Neglect
Genesis HealthCare is the largest provider of nursing home and assisted living services in the country. Its website states that it operates more than 500 facilities nationwide. Though the company may consider itself a “leader,” many of its nursing home residents needlessly suffer due to neglect or abuse by its staff.
When you trust your loved one to a Genesis nursing home facility, you expect its employees and management to ensure your family member’s safety and happiness. When nursing home abuse and neglect injures your loved one, it can result in emotional and physical injuries that can impact every aspect of your family’s life, and even lead to death.
If your family member has suffered from abuse or neglect in a Genesis home, you should consult a nursing home abuse lawyer about filing a lawsuit to hold the owners, managers and other responsible parties liable so that other vulnerable residents will not be injured. Filing a legal claim of abuse or neglect against a nursing home or their staff helps by stopping the abuse from continuing, protecting the victim and other residents, and creating greater accountability for Genesis and nursing homes in general. In addition, a successful lawsuit means victims and their family may be awarded compensation for the damages that they received.
How Abuse and Neglect Happens at Genesis
Genesis is a for-profit corporation, and one way of increasing profit is to cut the number of staff at its facilities. As a result, nursing home staff is often inadequate and overworked and unable to properly supervise and care for residents. Such neglect can lead to serious situations including:
- Delayed or misdiagnosis of medical conditions
- Deficient medical care and failure to test for and treat conditions
- Medication errors
- Falls and injuries
- Bedsores and infections.
In addition, here there are times when nursing home abuse is deliberate, malicious and criminal. Such abuse may include:
- Physical abuse – assaulting, punching, hitting or pushing
- Sexual abuse – fondling private parts, sexual battery, or rape
- Psychological abuse – yelling at or belittling residents
- Financial abuse – illegally taking money or personal property.
Family members who suspect Genesis nursing home abuse or neglect at any of its facilities should take photographs and videos of any injuries, document what they think is happening, and get legal assistance immediately from a nursing home lawyer.
Genesis’ website lists facilities in Maryland that include:
- Franklin Woods Center, Baltimore
- Corsica Hills Center, Centreville
- Cromwell Center, Baltimore
- Perring Parkway Center, Baltimore
- Loch Raven Center, Baltimore
- Multi-Medical Center, Towson
- Heritage Center, Baltimore
- Homewood Center, Baltimore
- Long Green Center, Baltimore
- PowerBack Rehabilitation, Brightwood Campus
- Caton Manor, Baltimore
- Hammonds Lane Center, Brooklyn Park
- Catonsville Commons, Catonsville
- Patapsco Valley Center, Randallstown
- Severna Park Center, Severna Park
- The Pines, Easton
- Spa Creek Center, Annapolis
- Waugh Chapel Center, Gambrills
- Larkin Chase Center, Bowie
- Chesapeake Woods Center, Cambridge
- Doctors Community Rehabilitation and Patient Care Center, Lanham
- Fairland Center, Silver Spring
- Layhill Center, Silver Spring
- Crescent Cities Center, Riverdale
- Glade Valley Center, Walkersville
- Salisbury Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Salisbury
- Woodside Center, Silver Spring
- Sligo Creek Center, Takoma Park
- Fox Chase Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Silver Spring
- Shady Grove Center, Rockville
- Kingshire Manor, Rockville
- Bradford Oaks Center, Clinton
- Ballenger Creek, Frederick
- Waldorf Center, Waldorf
- La Plata Center, La Plata.
A Lawyer Handling Genesis Healthcare Cases Can Help You Get Compensation
Patient Neglect Lawsuits Against Genesis Nursing Homes
All nursing homes owe a duty of care to their residents to keep them safe and provide adequate medical and physical care. If they fail to do so and the result is injury or harm to your loved one, the nursing home can be held liable to pay your family compensation through a nursing home lawsuit.
Many Genesis lawsuits have been brought by family members of residents who have been injured and abused while living in their facilities. Genesis does not want these cases to go to trial, and for good reason.
An example of what can happen in a successful jury verdict is the $5 million in punitive damages in 2010 in Philadelphia involving a Genesis nursing home, Hillcrest Convalescent Home, and a local hospital, Jeanes Hospital. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the punitive damages award was for $3.5 million against Hillcrest and $1.5 million against Jeanes. The jury had also previously found the two liable for $1 million in damages due to the 2008 death of Joe Blango. The complaint states that Blango developed serious bed sores which became infected; he became seriously malnourished and dehydrated during hospital and nursing home stays; and the bed sores worsened and led to his death.
Nursing homes like Genesis want to avoid the bad publicity and extreme costs that can happen when a case is presented in front of a jury. As a result, when a Genesis nursing home is sued, it often results in a settlement when the nursing home realizes that fighting the allegations can not only damage its reputation, but going to court can ultimately cost it more money than the settlement. Genesis therefore commonly settles virtually all of the nursing home cases filed against it and is putting strict confidentiality language in the settlements.
If you even suspect your loved one is being abused or neglected in a Genesis home, an experienced nursing home lawyer can evaluate the individual circumstances and determine the best way to proceed.
Get Help from a Nursing Home Lawyer
If you believe that your loved one has been seriously injured or killed due to the negligence or fault of Genesis HealthCare staff, our nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers can help you address the situation and hold those responsible accountable for their actions. At the Law Offices of Roger S. Weinberg, you’ll find compassionate support and experienced advocates to help your family through the tough times. We have represented plaintiffs throughout Maryland who have brought legal actions against Genesis, including those involving claims such as:
- Stage 4 pressure ulcers (bedsores)
- Falls leading to brain injury and death
- Infected wounds leading to sepsis (a complication due to the body’s response to an infection) and death
- An unexplained injury that resulted in a subdural hematoma and death
- Malnutrition and dehydration.
Other common claims against Genesis include:
- Falls resulting in bone fractures
- Over-medication
- Failure to render nursing services
- Failure to obtain prompt emergency services
- Physical abuse by staff or other residents with known violent tendencies.
Don’t let nursing home abuse and neglect continue. Get the help you and your loved one need now.
Call the Law Office of Roger S. Weinberg at 410-825-3161 today
Brookdale Senior Living Solutions
September 26th, 2016 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
Brookdale operates more than 1,100 assisted living facilities in 47 states, according to its website. One of those states is Maryland, where it operates seven facilities. Assisted living facilities are meant to provide a level of care that is less involved than that of a nursing home or skilled nursing facility. One of the dangers of using such a facility is that the operator may be more focused on filling beds and generating income than ensuring residents are not too disabled to safely live there. (more…)
National Assisted Living Week
September 19th, 2016 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
The National Center for Assisted Living, an industry group representing those owning assisted living facilities, has a National Assisted Living Week every year. This year it’s September 11-17, with the theme “Keep Connected,” in hopes that those living and working in these facilities can be made more aware of each other and encouraging residents’ use of technology to keep in touch with others.
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Should Complaints About Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities Be Anonymous?
July 15th, 2016 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
If you want to file a complaint with Maryland’s Department of Health & Mental Hygiene you can do so anonymously or you can include your name and choose whether or not the facility can learn of your identity. Whether anonymous complaints serve the public is being debated in the Illinois legislature, according to U.S. News & World Report. (more…)
Technology and Independent Living
May 17th, 2016 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
Technology has changed virtually every aspect of our lives. It can also change how elders and those with severe disabilities are cared for. WebMD has a number of suggestions for caregivers of those with cognitive issues (including dementia and Parkinson’s disease), and many of these ideas could be helpful if you need to care for someone who can’t care for themselves, regardless of the reason. (more…)
Sexual Assault in Long Term Care Facilities
January 21st, 2016 by Attorney Roger Weinberg
The abuse of any elderly or disabled person is always disturbing, but what can be especially cruel is the sexual abuse of those in assisted living facilities. Sexual predators take advantage of the elderly and disabled who may be physically or mentally unable to fight back. If a loved one has suffered this kind of attack, contact the Law Offices of Roger S. Weinberg office right away so we can take immediate legal action to make sure this abuse stops and your family member is protected. (more…)
