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Nursing Home Bill of Rights in Georgia

In 1982 Georgia passed the Bill of Rights for Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities, which established a number of rights for residents of nursing homes including:

• The right to receive detailed information about any medical conditions they have, as well as what types of treatments are available to them.
• The right to receive the appropriate care and treatment.
• The right to be free of any unnecessary chemical or physical restraints, unless the restraints are used only to prevent injury to the resident or others.
• The right to private examinations, as well as the right to have privacy for visits, calls, dressing and while using the bathroom.
• The right to confidentiality as to your medical records.
• The right to object to an involuntary discharge or transfer and to have 30 days advance notice of such an event.
• The right to receive 15 days written notice in the event a resident is transferred to another room or bed in the nursing home.
• The right to come and go as the resident pleases, and to go to sleep and wake when the resident chooses.
• The right to choose a pharmacy, as well as the right to manage financial affairs.

Nursing homes owe a duty of care and responsibility to the residents. Nursing homes all over Georgia regularly violate the rights of their residents.

Nursing homes must be made accountable for violation of the resident’s rights. Nursing homes are like any other business. In an attempt to reduce expenses and maximize profits, the rights of residents are routinely violated resulting in nursing home abuse.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse

There are different types of nursing home abuse: physical abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and health care fraud.

Physical abuse is the willful inflicting of pain or injury to the resident. The signs include:
• Unexplained signs of injury, bruises, welts, or scars
• Broken bones, sprains, or dislocations
• Drug overdose or apparent failure to take medication regularly
• Broken eyeglasses or frames
• Signs of being restrained, such as rope marks on wrists
• Caregiver’s refusal to allow you to see the elder alone

The improper act of using the resources of a resident for someone else’s benefit without their consent is financial abuse.

The signs include:

• Large withdrawals from the resident’s accounts
• Sudden changes in the resident’s financial condition
• Cash and/or items missing from the resident’s household
• Suspicious changes in wills, power of attorney, titles, and policies
• Addition of names to the resident’s signature card
• Unpaid bills and/or lack of medical care despite capacity to pay for them
• Financial activities the resident couldn’t have done due to health and/or physical conditions
• Purchase of unnecessary services, goods, or subscriptions

Sexual abuse is the coercing of an resident through force, trickery, threats or other means into unwanted sexual activity.

The signs include:

• Bruises or injuries around genitals and breasts
• Unexplained venereal disease or genital infections
• Unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding
• Torn, stained, or bloody underclothing

Emotional abuse of an resident is the causing of mental or emotional distress by means of humiliation, intimidation or threats.

The signs include:

• Threatening, belittling, or controlling behavior by nursing home staff
• Behavior of the resident that mimics dementia, such as rocking, sucking, or mumbling to oneself

Neglect is another form of nursing home abuse and is the failure to provide food, water, clothing, shelter, hygiene, medication, safety and comfort by someone who is responsible for the resident.

The signs include:

• Unexplained weight loss
• Malnutrition
• Dehydration
• Untreated wounds and injuries
• Unsanitary and/or unsafe living conditions
• Lack of proper sanitation facility
• Being left dirty or unbathed
• Improper clothing for the weather
• Desertion of the resident at a public place

Healthcare fraud and abuse is carried out by unethical doctors, nurses, hospital personnel, and other professional care providers.

The signs include:

• Duplicate billings for the same medical service or device
• Overmedication or undermedication
• Inadequate care when bills are paid in full
• Poorly trained, poorly paid, or insufficient staff or crowding at the care facility.

Contact the injury lawyers at Gonzalez & Waddington if your elder relative is a victim of nursing home abuse. From our offices in Savannah GA, we represent nursing home abuse victims all over Georgia. We have an unmatched reputation in getting nursing home abuse victims the compensation they deserve. We investigate and identify the neglect.

Contact us for a free initial consultation. We will review your case and let you know if you are entitled to compensation. Call 706-821-2222.