Medical Malpractice Lawyers in New York | Silberstein, Awad & Miklos

It was one of the first signs of what we would call civilization. Among our ancestors Homo erectus, injured, disabled, and elderly individuals were not left to fend for themselves, but were cared for by their families and community. And for most of human history, this is the way it was. We cared for the weakest members of society as a community, as an extended family. It was only with the industrial notion of economies of scale that we began to imagine a place where these valuable members of society could be isolated as part of the rationale for "care."

Although the quality of care in nursing homes has certainly improved since they swept society in a wave during the 19th century, it seems that it has reached a plateau, that there are certain aspects of nursing homes that will always make for expensive, potentially dangerous negligent nursing home care for the elderly and disabled. Because profit margin is always an underlying factor, nursing homes will most likely always be understaffed, and often staffed with underqualified or barely qualified personnel because they work cheaper. Finally, although many nursing home employees are dedicated, caring individuals, many of them are not, and some of them are extortionists looking for the opportunity to financially exploit the elderly and disabled or violent criminals or sex offenders looking to physically or sexually abuse the elderly and disabled.

An alternative exists for those who do not wish to take this risk with their loved ones: home care. And to assist with home care, the New York Department of Health offers the Long Term Home Health Care Program, which is available to individuals who are medically eligible for placement in a nursing home and can receive home care at a cost less than nursing home cost in their home county. In addition to all regular Medicaid services, the program may provide home-delivered meals or transportation to dining facilities, housing and moving assistance, and social day care and transportation.

If you are interested in this program, you can learn more through your local Department of Social Services.

If, on the other hand, you have seen the negative effects of institutionalized care, you deserve compensation for the injury to you and your loved one. Schedule a negligent nursing home consultation with the Brooklyn personal injury lawyers at Silberstein, Awad, and Miklos, P.C. today.