St. Francis Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing Home Owner Pleads No Contest To Neglect Charges
When you are unable to personally care for your elderly loved ones, you want to make sure they are in good hands elsewhere. Sending your elders to a nursing home facility may be a difficult decision for many families. It can be scary to trust that your loved one will be treated properly with care and kindness. However, many families do choose to send their elders to a nursing home facility for an array of reasons. When choosing the right facility for your family, you want to make sure that the wellbeing of your loved one is a top priority of the staff and facility. While you would never intentionally send your loved one to a facility that may neglect them, this happens all too many times in nursing facilities across the country. An estimated 1 in 6 elders suffer abuse in nursing home facilities each year. Even more shockingly, the World Health Organization reports that 2 in 3 staff admits to committing abuse in the past year. These are horrifying statistics and can make the experience of sending a loved one to a care facility all the more daunting.
If you are considering sending a loved one to a long-term care facility, make sure to do all the research you can. Reading reviews and recommendations from other families may help lead you to the right facility for you. Even when you do choose a facility, it is always best to keep a close eye on your loved one the best that you can. Abuse can be hard to spot, and the signs are not always right in front of you. Elders may not always be aware of the abuse they are experiencing, so do not assume abuse is not happening if they haven’t mentioned it.
Contact An Elder Abuse Lawyer
In the unfortunate event that you become aware that abuse has occurred to your loved one, you can take legal action to get justice for your family. Whether the abuse is physical, verbal, or just negligence, a skilled lawyer will fight for your family’s rights. Nursing homes assume a duty of care when taking in patients. Failure to care for patients is abuse, negligence, and grounds to be sued.
St. Francis Nursing Home Lawsuit
St. Francis nursing home is a facility for elders in Darby, PA. When the Pennsylvania Department of Health performed an inspection of the facility, what they found was shocking. The inspection revealed gruesome evidence of abuse and neglect as well as extreme conditions. Several deaths occurred at this facility as a result of extreme and prolonged neglect. Improper wound care with sores to the bone was discovered among residents along with other forms of abuse and neglect. Due to the high levels of abuse, the Pennsylvania Department of Health revoked the license for this facility.
Chaim Steg Pleads No Contest
The owner of St. Francis nursing home is Chaim Steg, who also owns several other nursing homes in the area. He also owns Conestoga View in Lancaster county, another nursing home facility with a bad reputation for neglecting residents. In order to save some money, Conestoga View cut staff to dangerously low levels. Without sufficient staff, a facility cannot safely operate. Being understaffed promotes dangerous conditions as every patient cannot receive the care they need and deserve. Chaim Steg pleaded no contest to three counts of reckless endangerment following the investigation that brought this to light.
Slap On The Wrist
Chaim Steg is a repeat offender when it comes to elderly abuse. It is shocking that the abuse at this facility went on for so long, knowing his history. What is even more shocking is the punishment he received for his offenses. Steg was sentenced to 6-23 months of house arrest followed by three years of probation. Under his probation he is prohibited from managing, owning, or operating any medical facility for five years. Multiple deaths occurred under this man’s operation and he is not seeing a second of jail time. This punishment is horrifically minor for the willful neglect of these patients, and the pain he caused to many families.
Families Can Seek Justice
The criminal charges against Chaim Steg, opens the door for families to file civil claims against the facilities that their loved ones suffered at. A criminal case proves that a crime happened, civil cases help those affected get compensation for their pain and suffering. But, civil claims also punish people like Chaim Steg in ways that matter – his wallet.
Free Elder Abuse Lawsuit Consultations
If you or a loved one are the victim of elder abuse at a nursing facility, talk to a lawyer about your situation. Find a trusted lawyer to help get the compensation you deserve. Contact Kane & Silverman today for a free legal consultation.