Blog Post

Nursing Home Raids Reveal Neglect


April 18, 2008
Topic: Nursing Home Abuse

Residents at a Cincinnati nursing home told police tales of abuse and neglect, leading to the filing of a 4 page complaint that lists a total of 72 building code violations. The police had raided the Westside Health Care and The Terrace assisted living facility for the second time in almost a month.

The nursing home was said to be in an appalling state of neglect. Many residents were eager to tell the police the difficulties they faced in the nursing home, many crying as they recounted tales of neglect and physical abuse.

The stories of abuse are horrifying. One person said he had not received his medication for four days, while another complained of being pushed and hit in the chest by staff. Yet another claimed that he had been splitting blood for 10 days before he was taken to hospital. Diapers were changed just once a day. Investigators said the facility reeked of feces and urine. Toilets were in an inoperable state, and doors did not open when the fire alarm went off. The gutters were dirty.

In other words, this was a place many people would feel uncomfortable about keeping their dogs in.

The lawyers for the owner of the facility, Abe Fischer, say that the charges are trumped up. They maintain that leaving a building in disrepair is not a crime. When you have aged people living in a building, the need for maintenance becomes acute.

One lawyer also alleged that the raid on the facility was not warranted, and that any complaints that the inmates had could have been resolved through "normal channels." The problem with nursing homes that have a history of neglect and abuse as this one clearly does, is that by the time "normal channels" are resorted to, it's usually too late. The elderly can die under supposedly "natural" circumstances before the truth is uncovered. Such raids help uncover the truth faster, so that changes can be made and these innocent people are helped before it's too late.

By the accounts of the neglect going on at the facility, it looks like it was just a matter of time before there was a major tragedy to report. It's not just a matter of one defective toilet or a window latch being broken. When these violations reach a mind boggling 72 in number, you begin to seriously worry about the safety of the residents.

Inmates who live in an assisted living facility are people who have spent a life contributing to society in their own way. It's shameful that they are treated like this in the final years of their lives.

Abe Fischer has pleaded not guilty to the violations. His lawyers insist that they will ask the judge to quash the case because the raids were "unmerited." It seems like people have to die for things to have merit these days.

If you have a loved one who has suffered due to nursing home abuse, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.


The California personal injury attorneys at The Reeves Law Group represent victims of accidents, injuries and wrongful death throughout California from our offices in Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, Fresno County, Kern County, Sacramento County, San Fernando Valley, Long Beach, Antelope Valley, Torrance, Glendale, Bakersfield, Santa Ana, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Ontario, and Victorville.