If you suspect nursing home abuse or neglect, it’s critical to take action as soon as possible. The state of Georgia created a state complaint hotline that allows anyone to call and report a problem. But astonishingly, the hotline does not always work, according to a recent news report by Fox 5 Atlanta.
Lisa Overholt, who once worked as a staffing coordinator for Mountain View Health Care in Clayton, told Fox 5 she called the hotline several times and never heard back from anyone.
Fox 5 also reported that an online complaint form failed to work properly. Fox 5 contacted the Georgia Department of Community Health, which said it fixed the online form and was seeking a new phone system.
An experienced nursing home abuse attorney knows how important it is to respond quickly to an allegation of nursing home abuse or neglect. A complaint will trigger an investigation that could save lives. A delay can have grave consequences.
As Lisa Overholt told Fox 5: “That’s somebody’s mother. Somebody’s sister. Somebody’s brother. They deserve to be taken care of just like you would your own child.”
Complaint filed about understaffing at nursing
Overholt decided to take action because she had difficulty keeping a minimum amount of staff. Overholt was concerned that an inadequate level of staff was leading to the neglect of residents in the facility.
She told the news outlet that residents in the facility “just seemed to waste away” due to a lack of staff to take care of them. What’s more, the lack of staffing led to hygiene problems. Residents waited seven to 10 days between showers, according to the Fox 5 investigation.
Overholt told Fox 5 she could not persuade Mountain View to hire enough staff. She filed a complaint with the state labor board, alleging Mountain View is a “severely understaffed nursing home.”
According to Medicare.gov, which assigns ratings for nursing homes, Mountain View Health Care receives a five-star health inspection rating (much above average). But the facility only receives a one-star staffing rating (much below average).
Sadly, Mountain View is hardly unique in that regard. Too many Georgia nursing homes are critically understaffed, and those staffing issues put patients in serious danger. We put our elderly loved ones in nursing homes expecting intensive care, and an understaffed home simply cannot provide that level of care.
Many families in Georgia may not realize that an attorney can help if a loved one is abused or neglected in a nursing home. Time is critical. Your loved one deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. The Law Office of George S. Johnson wants to hear from you if your loved one was abused or neglected in any way in a nursing home. Contact us for a free consultation.