Nursing Homes

Nursing Homes

Elderly and disabled individuals suffer horrendous abuse and neglect daily in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities throughout the United States. Negligent care and treatment results in pressure sores (decubitus ulcers), malnutrition, dehydration, and pneumonia. Lack of supervision and purposeful activities lead to wandering, falls, burns as a result of unsupervised smoking, and physical, mental, and emotional deterioration. Abuse includes sexual assault and rape; physical beatings and injury including intentional burns; and excessive use of physical and chemical restraint for staff convenience. This neglect and abuse often results in painful deaths of nursing home residents.

Over the past 20 years, reports and studies have shown that nursing home residents continue to receive a poor standard of care and treatment. Advocacy groups such as the National Citizens Coalition for Nursing Home Reform and federally mandated Long-Term Care Ombudsman program were created in direct response to this long-standing problem. The Nursing Homes Litigation Group, organized in 1987, encourages the filing of tort cases against nursing homes in meritorious cases. This Group offers its members a manual of pleadings, discovery, briefs, and regulatory updates to assist in undertaking the representation of nursing home victims.

The Group strives to present high-quality continuing legal education seminars. Physicians, nursing home defense counsel, judges, and representatives of advocacy coalitions are part of the panels which speak to membership at its annual meetings. This Group has successfully assisted trial lawyers throughout the USA in nursing home litigation. Many of these cases have resulted in significant settlements and verdicts.

At its annual meeting, panel presentations provide information regarding proof of damages and specific information to help prove liability in the different types of nursing home cases (abuse, neglect, burns, and so on). The Group has also a list server where members can network and gain advice from other members and an electronic library (E-library) which contains pleadings, briefs, opinions, and other materials specific to litigation nursing home cases. The same library documents are also available through the Exchange.

• Meetings: Held concurrent to the AAJ annual and winter conventions.

• Membership: Open to Regular, Sustaining, Life, President's Club, and Paralegal Affiliate members.

• Dues: $150/attorney

Leadership

• Chair: Lesley Ann Clement | Clement Law Group, Sacramento, CA
• Chair-Elect: Carmaletta Henson | Henson & Fuerst, PA, Raleigh, NC
• Vice Chair: Victoria Schall | Schall at Law LLC, Marlton, NJ
• Secretary: Laraclay Parker | Golden Law Office, Lexington, KY
• Treasurer: Megan Shore | Shore Law LLC, Chicago, IL
• Parliamentarian: Dawn Smith | Smith Clinesmith LLP, Dallas, TX