Obtaining Justice in Cases of Abuse and Neglect in Florida Nursing Homes and Other Related Long Term Care Facilities

The law firm of Urban Thier Federer & Jackson, P.A. is proud to
protect residents from abuse and neglect in Florida nursing homes,
assisted living facilities, adult family-care homes, board and care
facilities, and other similar residential adult care facilities, or, at
minimum, seek justice for those already injured in these settings. The
firm is most active in the Central Florida area, including Brevard,
Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Volusia Counties, but has
also handled cases throughout the state of Florida, including Baker,
Clay, Flagler, Marion, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Pinellas,
Hillsborough, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties.

After years of defending physicians working in long term
care facilities and, to an even greater degree, defending the
facilities themselves – both in Texas and in Florida – I, and this
firm, now serve the needs of those being abused and neglected in the
long-term care setting. Although experience has shown that there are
compassionate care givers who work in the long-term care industry, not
all of the staff working at such facilities care about the needs of
their facilities’ elderly and vulnerable resident population. Moreover,
even those who enter the profession with high ideals and a desire to
provide a high level of care to the residents within their charge often
become jaded because they are overworked and underpaid for their
efforts by their employers – the very facilities charged with ensuring
the welfare of its residents. Corporate greed leads to inadequate
facility budgets and compromises the ability to provide the level of
care legally mandated by the “Resident’s Bill of Rights,” as reflected
in the Florida Statutes. Corporate greed also undermines the moral
obligation to care for those who number amongst the most frail and
defenseless in our population. All too often my conferences with staff,
as the defense attorney for the long term care facility, led to
comments by registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and certified
nursing assistants that they were so overworked that if they actually
provided all of the care that residents were supposed to receive on a
daily basis then they would not reach all of the residents in their
care and some would even die. Thus, these caregivers learn to cut
corners and skip steps in the care plan – some of which result in
disastrous consequences for the residents in their supposed care.