Allegations Of Ohio Nursing Home Abuse Continues As Fayette County Nursing Home Closes After Inspection

Allegations of Ohio Nursing Home Abuse Continues as Fayette County Nursing Home Closes After Inspection

Ohio Department of Health closing Fayette Count home after inspections indicate Ohio nursing home abuse and other violations.

Ohio nursing home abuse has become all to common, and the latest in the string of troubling news comes from Fayette County where the Ohio Department of Health is closing a nursing home, that houses over 130 residents, for failed inspections and sexual abuse, the Columbus Dispatch reports. The facility is also under investigation for the unapproved restraint methods of residents. If confirmed, these allegations will support the claims of nursing home abuse by long-term residents of the center. State officials scrambled to find new homes for residents after funding stopped in February.

According to employees of the Carlton Manor in Washington Court House, the nursing home had become the place to house nursing home patients that no other nursing home would take. 27 of the residents were registered sex offenders and many others had behavioral or psychological problems, aggressive behavior, or a criminal background. The troubled past of the nursing home patients was no excuse for the behavior of the staff, however. According to state inspection records from the Ohio Department of Health, the violations by employees are shocking. Violations include improper restraint of patients, failure to report sexual abuse, dirty rooms and bathrooms, unclean upholstery, broken furniture and equipment, and general un-cleanliness. All-told, the inspectors visited Carlton Manor 13 times in 2013.

Due to the numerous violations and failure to follow Health Department guidelines, the Department of Health has revoked Carlton Manor’s license to operate and ceased all Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements as of Feb. 15.

Beverley Lambert from the Ohio Department of Aging has worked to ensure the former residents of the nursing home found new, safe housing accommodations. Lambert stated that the mood for the transfer was mostly positive. “There is some anxiety, yes, but many of the residents we’ve talked to are happy to be moving,” she said. Lambert worked with many Ohio state recovery departments and long-term care facilities to find new homes for the residents, including Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, mental-health services, alcohol- and drug-addiction services, and the new Recovery Requires a Community program designed to help patients with mental illness transition back to a community setting.

The Ohio Department of Health certifies almost 1,000 nursing homes in the state. The goal of the facilities is to provide personal care for all residents in a safe, clean center. Despite these goals, Ohio nursing homes ranked in 30th place in a national assessment from 2013. In staff care, Ohio received a grade of “F.” Only 20 percent of nursing care facilities inspected in 2013 by the Ohio Health Department had no violations, according to the Nursing Home Report Card.

In 2013 there were several Ohio nursing home abuse cases. In May, the East Galbraith Health Care Center was placed on the federal watch list for resident violations and abuse of patients. In June, the Ohio Attorney General reported that many nursing home staff were stealing from patients or abusing them in some other way and that relatives of nursing home patients should watch carefully for signs of abuse.

If someone you know has experienced neglect or abuse in Ohio nursing homes contact the attorneys at Wright & Schulte LLC for the help and guidance you need in making sure our elders are receiving the care they deserve. Call 1-800-399-0795 or visit yourohiolegalhelp.com to have all your questions answered and obtain the help you need.

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