Failure to follow state and federal regulations may harm nursing home residents

When nursing homes do their jobs, they add a great benefit to our society. They protect our loved ones by giving them the care that they need and that they can no longer recover in private homes. However, each resident and each resident’s family must put a certain amount of trust into the nursing home facility.

Federal and State Regulations Make It Easier to Trust

The rights of nursing home residents are too important to leave completely to individual nursing homes. Instead, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the state governments, typically through appropriate state agencies, have enacted certain regulations that are meant to protect the rights of nursing home residents to leave free from abuse and neglect. These regulations promote respect and dignity for each resident, minimum safety requirements, minimum staffing requirements, and other important measures.

Unfortunately, Regulations Are Sometimes Violated or Ignored

Regulations are not optional; if a regulation applies to a specific nursing home, then the nursing home has a legal obligation to comply with its requirements. However, some nursing home staff may purposefully or accidently violate nursing home regulations in a way that results in harm for nursing home residents.

When this happens, it is important for nursing home residents or their families to take action. The appropriate action to take depends on the specific regulation that was violated and the impact that it had on the resident. Some options may be to:

  • Talk to the nursing home administrator about your concern.
  • Report the violation to the state.
  • File a personal injury lawsuit.

An experienced nursing home abuse lawyer can help you decide which course of action is right for your loved one after an injury occurs in a nursing home. To find out more about how to protect your loved one after any type of nursing home abuse or neglect, please read our free book, Guide for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Victims: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Legal Rights and Get Every Dollar You Deserve, or contact us via this website for a free consultation.

Jason F. Abraham
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Helping car accident and personal injury victims throughout Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa since 1993.