Sex Abuse in Nursing Homes
Sex abuse in nursing homes, in many cases, is not caused or perpetrated by employees, but by other residents. Many nursing homes, in fact, accept registered sex offenders as residents and not all inform other residents or their families about the presence of these sex offenders in their facilities.
According to a recent news report, a female nursing home resident was inappropriately touched by a registered sex offender who was also a resident at the facility. Both the victim and the man were in the nursing home’s lobby when the male resident, who apparently had a history of fondling non-alert women, touched the breast of a female resident. This man had apparently been convicted of criminal sexual abuse of a teenager, according to an investigation conducted by state officials. The nursing home is also facing a $3,500 for allowing this incident to happen.
It is not uncommon for nursing homes to accept registered sex offenders as residents. According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report in 2006, at least 700 registered sex offenders live in nursing homes and care facilities in the United States. The law is a little fuzzy on requiring nursing homes to inform residents and their families about these sex offenders.
It is also important to look into whether the nursing home has the appropriate staffing and training to handle the resident offenders. Facilities also need to take necessary steps such as keeping sex offenders away from the cognitively impaired resident population. Supervision is also the key to prevent such incidents from occurring. If sexual abuse occurs in a nursing home under the watch of the facility’s staff, the nursing home operator can be held liable for the injuries and damages caused to the victims and their families. It is the responsibility of the nursing home operator to provide careful supervision and make sure that such incidents do not occur.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect, please call the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group for a free consultation. Kirk Bernard and his skilled legal team will fight for your rights and hold the negligent nursing home operators accountable.
Source:http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/41d9fb7e-d96a-11de-ae04-001cc4c03286.html
