As nursing home abuse lawyers in Memphis, we’ve seen firsthand how mistreatment of the elderly happens all the time. One way the government tries to prevent this problem is through inspections of nursing homes and adult care facilities.
In the US, the federal government contracts with state officials to oversee nursing home inspections. That means Tennessee runs inspections of its sites that want to accept Medicare or Medicaid from their patients. Then the inspectors send that information to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) so the federal government can certify the nursing home.
These inspections happen an average of once a year – sometimes more, sometimes less. When a site receives complaints, investigators might come more often. If a nursing home doesn’t perform up to standard, the CMS can punish the facility through fines, monitoring, or a revoking of their Medicare and Medicaid certification.
Once a year isn’t very often for a site checkup. What’s more, the facility knows when these inspections will happen. They could clean up their act right before the site is monitored. And while the CMS sends state regulators to investigate complaints, the problems can be so widespread that some nursing home claims could go under the radar.
In Canada, inspectors are so overwhelmed with complaints that they’re warning of a 5-year delay. That’s simply too long to wait for the safety and well-being of your family members and loved ones.
A lawyer, on the other hand, doesn’t have the bureaucratic limitations of a large government organization. As nursing home abuse lawyers in Memphis, we can testify that when someone comes to us with a serious complaint about their loved one’s safety, we can investigate immediately.
Plus, if the government finds problems in a nursing home, they will fix it with more regulations, fines, and other punishments that don’t necessarily help you. When your loved one has been injured, you want compensation and justice from the people who did you harm – not just a payment to Health and Human Services.
Take it from us: a lawyer fighting on your behalf will care more for your personal situation than a government agent; and there’s no 5-year delay if you’re afraid for your elderly family member.
Our elder abuse attorneys help people who’ve been injured in some way through neglect or abuse, whether physical or emotional. As a law firm with a nursing home lawyer Memphis, TN has trusted for decades, we’ve seen how prevalent the elder abuse problem is. If you’re afraid that’s you or someone you love, it’s in your best interest to contact our office and talk with a lawyer who will take your case seriously.