Medical Malpractice Lawyers

Ask a Nursing Home Injury Attorney in Cleveland: Why is Ohio’s Care so Bad?

It’s a sobering yet logical conclusion for any nursing home injury attorney in Cleveland: Why do Ohio’s nursing homes rate among the lowest in the nation when it comes to quality care, as measured by federal statistics?

Simple. There’s just not enough staff.

“Almost always, we had to work short-handed, handling anywhere from 15 to 20 people at any given time,” former nurse’s aide Lolly wrote in a Cleveland Plain Dealer anonymous survey of the state’s caregivers. “It is impossible to give proper care to that many people, answer the call lights and be everywhere at the same time.”

The Results? Tragic…

Not having enough hands on deck can cause extremely dangerous accidents that easily result in tragedy. As one sad example, Susanne Lawrence, a resident of Normandy Manor in Rocky River, overdosed after being given 20 times the prescribed dosage of oxycodone, or 500 milligrams. Staff failed to read the medication’s label and the 83 year old died after her last dosage on July 7, 2015.

Deadly Math

The statistics and the extent of the crisis are shocking, even for a nursing home injury attorney in Cleveland who deals with them every day. After three months of research, the Plain Dealer discovered:

• “Nearly 41 percent of the facilities in Ohio earned a below-average rating of one or two stars on the federal Nursing Home Compare standard, as of Dec. 1, compared to 35 percent nationally.
• At least 31 Ohio nursing home deaths in the last three years were attributed by authorities to issues of care. Residents’ lawyers argue the number could be far higher, because they depend upon self-reporting by nursing homes.
• Ohio’s minimum staffing rules are relatively lenient. Facilities in the state are required to make available 2.5 hours a day of nursing staff time for each resident. Florida and California require much more.
• Ohio requires only 75 hours of training for the aides who provide much of the care in a nursing facility. California requires 150 hours.
• Many states have given themselves the ability to fine nursing homes that violate “their standards. In places like California, state fines are used to strengthen nursing home inspections. Ohio doesn’t fine nursing homes. Instead, it recommends a dollar amount to the federal government, which sets and collects the fines. A portion of the fines is returned to the state.”

If you have a loved one in a residential care facility in Ohio, talk to a lawyer to ensure they are getting the best care. If statistics are any indication, their quality of life, if not their very lives themselves, may be in your hands. Contact us for a free consultation.