Missouri nursing homes have been linked to nearly 30 deaths during the past three years, according to recent investigation by 41 Action News in Kansas City, Mo.
41 Action News investigators reviewed hundreds of online reports, including federal and state nursing home inspection reports and found that 28 people died in nursing homes who shouldn’t have.
Missouri is consistently ranked one of the worst states for nursing home care by Families for Better Care, a Florida-based advocacy group that analyzes and ranks states’ nursing home quality. In 2013 and 2014, Missouri ranked for nursing homes and failed three of eight quality measures, earning an overall “F” grade.
The 41 Action News investigation uncovered the death of Mary Sales, a resident at Liberty (Mo.) Terrace Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. Sales, described by her daughter as “tough and fiercely independent,” had been living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and moved into Liberty Terrace to “grow stronger and go back to living a life of independence in her home.”
But, just two months after Sales moved into the facility, she died. A state investigation determined that Sales’ death could have been prevented and cited several mistakes leading up to her death, including “misplacing physician orders, not following protocol for her medication and failing to notify her doctor in a timely condition of her worsening condition,” according to 41 Action News.
Missouri’s poor nursing home rating is largely due to a shortage of staff to adequately care for the residents. On average, nurses only spend about one hour and 22 minutes with residents in Missouri nursing homes. According to the federal government, staffing levels below two hours and 45 minutes could result in serious harm to nursing home residents.
Getting Legal Help: Two Things to Know About Nursing Home Abuse
If you or a loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home or assisted living facility, it is never too late to seek legal help. Two things to know:
- Someone who enters a nursing home for rehabilitation or a short-term stay should not die.
- If you suspect abuse occurred, you can come to Langdon & Emison for legal help at no cost to you. There are no fees until we win your case.
Watch our nursing home abuse video to learn more about our firm’s experience handling nursing home abuse cases. To learn more about the warning signs of nursing home abuse, click here.
Contact Langdon & Emison
For more information, visit our online Nursing Home Abuse Guide or contact Langdon & Emison at 866-931-2115. We will review your case at no cost or obligation to you.