Elder Law

Political Interests Seek to Take Away Rights From Nursing Home Victims

By Levin & Perconti

The Wisconsin State-Journal reports that the legislature in our neighbor to the north is considering a bill that will make it more difficult for victims of nursing home negligence to seek redress following their loss.

Lawmakers in the state are debating legislation that would change the information that juries would be able to see in cases regarding nursing homes. For example, reviews and reports about health care providers would be deemed inadmissible evidence under the bill?s provisions. What that means, of course, is that a jury?s will have less information to determine exactly what happened in each situation.

Little can be gained from barring valuable information about the care provided to patients at nursing homes charged with committing deadly acts of negligence. One advocate fighting against the legislation is a victim of just such negligence. The man?s mother died following her nursing home?s inability to prevent and treat pressure sores. A jury of his peers heard the evidence and returned a verdict in his favor. Had the victim not be able to use official documents explaining the conduct of the facility, they may have a reached a different result.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on January 15, 2011 (boomark / email).