Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Blog

When residents enter nursing homes, they are almost always asked to sign contracts. These contracts specify all of the obligations the home has to the resident and his or her family, as well as the family's obligation to the home. Our Philadelphia nursing home negligence attorneys recommend reading any contract carefully, of course. But in particular, we advise families to watch nursing home contracts carefully for a provision requiring something called binding arbitration. Binding arbitration removes families' ability to sue in the event of any abuse, neglect or other wrongdoing at the home.

Binding arbitration is essentially private judging. Rather than going to a courthouse and explaining your case to a jury and judge, you and the nursing home would hire a private arbitrator (sometimes a retired judge) to hear the case and make a decision. Companies say it's faster than going to court, and sometimes cheaper. However, binding arbitration has come under criticism in the past few years after statistics showed that arbitrators decide in favor of the companies in an unusually high proportion of cases. Overwhelmingly, the companies are also the ones that pay the arbitrators' bills. The resulting public outcry has led to two bills in Congress to ban the practice -- including one that applies specifically to nursing homes.

In nursing homes, there are two major problems with binding arbitration. At worst, families' cases are decided by someone who was bought and paid for by the nursing home company. Because their contracts specify that the arbitrator's decision is final, families can rarely appeal to a state court. This denies justice in that one case. However, there's also a larger problem of "moral hazard." Binding arbitration with a friendly arbitrator allows nursing home companies to escape accountability for their actions. In essence, that means nursing homes have no incentive to cover up unsafe and illegal conditions -- placing more residents at risk.

Consumers often don't realize binding arbitration is buried in contracts until after they sign. Some states have thrown these contracts out of court, but Pennsylvania is not currently one of them. That means Pennsylvania families should look for binding arbitration clauses anytime they're ready to place a loved one in a nursing home. If they find one and prefer not to agree to it, they can and should ask the nursing home to change or remove it. Families who have already signed a binding arbitration contract should not give up, however. You can and should have a Philadelphia nursing home abuse attorney represent you in arbitration hearings, as well as in any court case necessary to fight the arbitration clause.

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Nursing home abuse makes headlines, and it's a serious problem that homes and residents' families should be watching for. But as Philadelphia nursing home neglect attorneys, we find that theft and financial exploitation may be even more common in nursing homes. Theft in nursing homes can be straightforward -- an employee, another resident or a visitor may simply take money and valuables out of the patient's room, or sometimes even from his or her person. It can also be subtle and sneaky, with the thief using threats, intimidation, medication, medical conditions or deception to get valuables.

In some ways, nursing home residents make good targets for theft. Older people tend to have more savings and if they own a home, it's probably paid off. People in nursing homes are also there because they have problems living independently, making them dependent on others. Unscrupulous people can take advantage of incapacitating health conditions to steal things outright, and depend on the resident's inability to communicate clearly to keep them out of trouble. In other cases, thieves may coerce, threaten or deceive patients into giving things away or signing away rights to valuable property. Sometimes, the victim even knows about it, but believes the financial move benefited him or her, or that it's a reasonably sized gift.

To catch financial exploitation in nursing homes, residents' families should keep an eye on the resident's finances and valuables. Watch bank accounts for unexpected activity, and be sure you have the right to ask questions if necessary. During visits, make sure your loved one has all of the money and items he or she used to have, particularly items that wouldn't be casually lost or given away, like heirloom jewelry and wedding rings. And if you suspect particular people, watch those people to see they're spending more than you believe they could make at their jobs. If you catch a thief in time, you may be able to get the money back, through a criminal prosecution or a Pennsylvania nursing home negligence lawsuit.

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