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New York suit alleges abuse, neglect at nursing home

On Behalf of | Dec 27, 2022 | Firm News

The residents of nursing homes in New York are some of the most neglected and helpless patients in the state’s health care system. Responding to reports from patients, patients’ relatives and other health care providers, state Attorney General Letitia James has commenced a lawsuit against a Long Island nursing home alleging numerous of accounts of abuse, neglect, and financial fraud.

The basic allegations

The nursing home is located in Woodbury.

Personal accounts from the children of patients back up the allegations in the complaint. One such individual, a New York police officer, arrived to visit his father and found him covered in feces and urine. The staff allegedly ignored the son’s complaints, forcing him to hire his own ambulance to transfer his father to another facility.

The complaint contains other examples of patient neglect. One patient was allegedly given a wheelchair with no footrests. As a result, the patient developed serious pressure sores from dragging his feet on the floor.

Another case involved a woman who was admitted after suffering a stroke. She allegedly received only three showers in five months.

Financial fraud

The owners of the nursing home allegedly organized a number of subsidiary corporations to hide their interests in the nursing home. The attorney general’s suit claims the nursing home paid more than $15 million in fraudulent rent to one subsidiary and another $5 million to a fraudulent consulting firm.

Conclusion

This case does not mean that all nursing homes in New York neglect their patients or use fraud to cheat the state, but it illustrates the extreme ends that some nursing operators may pursue to line their own pockets at the expense of their patients.

Anyone who has a relative in a home that renders questionable care may wish to discuss potential legal remedies with a lawyer experienced in cases involving nursing home abuse.