Indiana Nursing Home Abuse
Resource Center�
This Indiana Nursing Home Abuse Resource Center� is intended to
help those affected by nursing home abuse or neglect in Indiana to
learn more about this problem and how the responsible nursing home
company may be held accountable.
What you should do if you suspect abuse or neglect
in an Indiana nursing home?
If the victim of
nursing home abuse or neglect and is still a patient at the
facility, you should immediately notify your physician, the nursing
home administrator, and the director of nurses of your concerns.
You may want to document your concerns by giving the facility a
written complaint and keeping copy of this complaint for your
records.
Indiana Ombudsman
You should also consider contacting the ombudsman for the facility.
For more information on contact numbers for Indiana ombudsmen and
other officials, visit our
Indiana Nursing
Home Abuse Assistance page. The facility should also be
able to give you the identity and contact information for the
ombudsman.
Indiana State Department of Health
Whether the victim is still a patient at the facility or not, you
can also report the matter to the Indiana State Department of Health
by calling their nursing home complaint hot-line at 1-800-246-8909.
They will undertake an investigation of the complaint and notify
you of the results.
Holding the nursing home accountable
Holding a nursing home accountable for its abuse or neglect of a
patient may deter the facility or nursing home company from
permitting similar misconduct in the future. While the State
can investigate the complaint and in some cases levy fines against
the facility, often these fines are too small to serve as a truly
effective deterrent. Fortunately, Indiana law allows victims
or families of victims to initiate a civil lawsuit seeking damages designed to hold
the abusive or neglectful nursing home accountable for their
misconduct. To learn more about this legal option, call
888-922-2889 for a free consultation from:
POWLESS LAW OFFICES
(888) 922-2889
9465 Counselor's Row, Suite 200
Indianapolis, IN 46240
This firm offers free consultations to families who believe their
loved one has been the victim of nursing home neglect or abuse.
This firm does not charge an hourly fee to handle these
cases, but instead is paid only if a recovery is made against the
neglectful or abusive nursing home.
Laws to protect nursing home patients
in Indiana
Federal laws.
Federal Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Law Summary
In 1987, Congress enacted the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of
1987 (OBRA 1987), also known as the Nursing Home Reform Act, setting
forth certain requirements for quality of care. It demands that a
nursing home that receives Medicare and Medicaid funding "must
provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest
practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each
resident in accordance with a written plan of care..."
States may pass even stricter standards if they choose.
Click here for a summary of these federal
laws.
Indiana State Laws
Click here to review Indiana laws relating to nursing home patient
rights.
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