Six years after a nursing home death involving two roommates and patients at a nursing home facility, the objective to the hold the nursing home accountable has broadened beyond the one case. A nursing home patient was strangled with a plastic bag by her roommate suffering from dementia. The roommate was charged with murder, deemed unfit to stand trial and was placed in a mental hospital.
The nursing home was never held responsible. However, the family of the murdered patient believes that the nursing home should have had more involvement and preventative measures taken. This brings in the arbitration agreement signed at the admission of patients.
An arbitration agreement was signed in the instance of this patient putting all authority in the hands of the nursing home, waiving any right to trial. The patient’s family is working along with various attorney across the nation to rid nursing homes of the arbitration agreements, or to holds stricter stipulations for signing them. For more, read the story.
