Report Finds Blatant Disregard for Safety at Veterans Nursing Home in Massachusetts

In the spring, staff members at a Brockton, Massachusetts veterans nursing home knew federal investigators were coming to look for signs patients were being neglected. However, that did not stop some staff members from going to sleep during their shifts.

Sleeping staff members is just one of the many problems at the nursing home, which has the lowest rating in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) quality ranking system. The sleeping staff members became the focus on an internal report on poor care at the home, according to a letter that was sent to President Donald Trump and Congress by the VA.

However, poor care and neglect are not limited to this one facility – over the summer, USA Today and The Boston Globe revealed that more than 100 VA nursing homes from around the nation had lower scores than private nursing homes in the majority of the VA’s key quality indicators.

The VA responded to this reporting by releasing nursing home ratings that had been kept private for years – 45 nursing homes had the lowest possible rating, which is actually a decrease from 58 in the spring. The VA has 133 nursing homes housing approximately 46,000 veterans.

The VA also said it would release inspection reports that had been kept from the public for almost 10 years. However, that was five months ago, and these reports still have not been released. A spokesman told USA Today that the VA is working on removing patient information from these reports and they expect to be able to release redacted versions around Christmas.

Problems at Brockton Nursing Home

On average, residents of this facility were more likely to feel serious pain, see their health deteriorate or suffer bedsores, according to VA data. In fact, these residents were three times more likely to develop bedsores than residents in private nursing facilities.

Patricia Labossiere, a licensed nurse, complained about poor care at this facility but supervisors ignored her, so she complained to the Office of Special Counsel, a federal whistleblower agency.

Just a few days after she began working at the Brockton facility, she saw instances of poor care. For example, she told the whistleblower agency that aides and nurses were not emptying the bedside urinals. Veterans were also not provided clean water at night and nurses did not check on them regularly. In one situation, a resident fell, causing his feeding tube to be disconnected – it appeared that he was not monitored for hours.

Contact a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

If your loved one is a victim of abuse or neglect, contact our Wisconsin nursing home abuse lawyers for a free legal consultation. There is no obligation to pursue a case and you will not be charged for our services unless you receive the fair compensation you are entitled.

We have helped many victims of abuse and neglect recover the fair compensation they deserve for their damages. We know how important compensation can be as you attempt to move forward.

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