A new bill introduced in the Oklahoma legislature seeks to boost accountability for deaths or serious injuries that occur in the state’s nursing homes.
House Bill 1110 calls for the creation of an 11-person review board. The board’s job would be to investigate cases in which an elderly or disabled nursing home resident died or was seriously injured to determine whether abuse or neglect was a factor.
Supporters of the bill say that as many as 3,500 Oklahoma nursing home residents might be suffering the effects of abuse or neglect on any given date. They assert that Oklahoma’s low ranking among other states in terms of nursing home care is an epidemic problem and one that the legislature needs to address immediately in order to prevent additional harm.
Organizations like the Oklahoma Association of Health Care Providers and the Coalition of Advocates for Responsible Eldercare initially reserved judgment on the bill so that they could review its contents. However, both organizations released a statement asserting that safe and secure living conditions for nursing home residents should be a top priority.
When you place a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you do so expecting that your loved one will receive a level of care that you can no longer provide at home. When these expectations are shattered, the results can be devastating. To learn more about your loved one’s legal rights in the face of suspected nursing home abuse or neglect, contact the experienced Oklahoma nursing home negligence attorneys at Maples, Nix & Diesselhorst today.
