Pittsburgh based court case ruling gives stronger recourse against elder abuse

July 21, 7:35 AMPittsburgh Elder Care ExaminerDavid Lindberg

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A recent court case of Sarah Grammer v. John J. Kane Regional Centers-Glen Hazel that a private cause of action does exist under federal civil rights laws gives families who suspect abuse of their elderly loved one more options to bring action against a federally supported nursing care facility. 

The Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA) passed in 1987 gave the elderly more specific rights by stating that certain actions, such as restraining a patient, had to have a doctor's written order. This newest ruling in the Grammer case further empowers the rights of the elderly and the option of the family to pursue civil actions against suspected abuse.

This decision furthers the cause of elderly rights that need to be widely publicized as much as possible in order to make public nursing homes have a bit more fear of reprisals if they do not insure that care workers are doing the most to treat the helpless elderly with the respect and dignity that every human being deserves.

Commentary: It is the opinion of this Pittsburgh Elder Care Examiner that we need to appreciate how terribly difficult it is to care for elderly in nursing homes and that these workers need more resources and higher wages for the great work that they do. However, we must not forget the basic rights of every human being to be treated with all the respect that they deserve, as in most all cases, they are not aware of some of their extreme actions. The bottom line is that these facilities, especially when funded by federal and state money, need to have more incentives, such as better wages and conditions so that there are enough people who will want to work and give better care to the elderly. Often, cases of elder abuse occur when care workers are taking care of far too many patients. If their wages were better, more people would want to work at these centers, despite how difficult the job is. My hat is off to the majority of people who work in nursing homes. They just need more help!