Veterans Home Cited for Neglect

The recent citations Tennessee Veterans’ Home in Murfreesboro has received for nursing home neglect have been receiving some news coverage of their own today, perhaps because it is Veterans Day, perhaps because of the two women greeting the patriotic parades today in downtown Nashville with pictures of two veterans who had fallen not during combat but, according to their survivors, from neglect in the Murfreesboro veterans’ home.

Some have commented that such a display at such a time is disrespectful. As a personal injury attorney representing the injured and survivors of many Tennessee nursing home abuse cases, I am unconvinced.

Rather, what better time to bring attention to the mistreatment of our veterans than on the day we honor them?

Tennessee Veterans’ Home in Murfreesboro is a 140-bed nursing home is owned by the State of Tennessee that has frequently been cited for nursing home violations.

Of the five most recent violations, Tennessee nursing home regulators found three were of the “immediate jeopardy” category, meaning these deficiencies put the Murfreesboro nursing home residents’ health and safety in immediate danger. Because of these violations, the veterans’ home cannot accept new patients and will be fined until these deficiencies in care are corrected.

Tennessee regulators had previously levied fines and forbidden the nursing home from admitting new patients, 3 times in the past 16 months.

In the most recent inspection, a veterans’ home resident with a history of aggressive, violent assaults on other residents was found to have razor blades on his person, carried with violent intent after striking another resident. Another resident tried choking a resident for hollering. Again, these weren’t the first instances of violence or the nursing home neglect that allows for such resident-on-resident violence. A previous inspection in June had found violent attacks among patients, including one requiring hospitalization of the veterans’ home resident.

Fortunately, the veterans’ home has a plan of action to prevent future occurrences of violence among their nursing home residents.

Nursing home abuse in any form is disheartening, especially as all too often simple solutions are not taken, like keeping violent residents with a history of violence separated, because staff is scarce or overworked.

Tennessee nursing homes are liable for the injuries their negligence causes, whether or not they are private or publicly owned, whether or not Medicare or private insurance pays for the resident’s nursing home care. Nursing homes are legally obligated to provide reasonable care and prevent abuse and injury to their patients, including physical assaults by other patients.

If your loved one in a Tennessee nursing home has suffered severe or repeat injury from staff violence or assault from another resident, I would like to learn more about what happened. Contact me – Jim Higgins, Attorney at Law – for a free consultation if you suspect neglect or abuse responsible for injuries of a loved one in a Tennessee nursing home.