Our southeastern New Mexico city of Carlsbad may not be the largest municipality in the state, considering it only spans just over 31 square miles. However, the county to which it belongs spans nearly 4,200 square miles. More than half of Eddy County’s population resides here in Carlsbad. While the average age in our city is around 36 years old, around 24% of the population are seniors, many of whom likely reside in nursing homes.
While many close-knit families decide to take care of their elderly loved ones at home, others decide they would fare best receiving care at a nursing home. While many residents at assisted living facilities go on to lead fulfilling lives, others are treated poorly.
Nursing Homes in Carlsbad and Eddy County
An online search reveals that there are various nursing homes in Carlsbad, NM. These include:
- Good Life Senior Living and Memory Care
- Lakeview Christian Home (which has multiple assisted living facilities scattered throughout Carlsbad)
- Riverbend Retirement Community
There are over 70 nursing homes and other types of assisted living facilities with over 6,400 beds that accept Medicare and Medicaid in New Mexico. That government health insurance can cover approximately 64% of the costs of residing in such a facility.
Of the three listed above, the Northgate Unit of Lakeview Christian Nursing is the only facility listed as a Medicaid-certified facility. Its Medicare facility rating is five stars, an above-average rating. This score contrasts with online review ratings that place this facility at least one tier lower.
Online reviews of other private-pay nursing homes in Carlsbad rank these facilities as ranging anywhere from the low threes up to all five stars. The number of reviews posted is limited, though.
While many of the reviewers champion the care their loved ones received at their respective Carlsbad nursing homes, others do not speak as glowingly about their experience with theirs.
Types of Abuse That Occur in Carlsbad Nursing Homes
A 2019 report published ranked New Mexico fifth highest in terms of per-facility deficiencies. It ranked nursing homes in our state as second from the bottom regarding the quality of care.
Elderly individuals residing in nursing homes are often referred to as vulnerable adults because they must rely on others for their caregiving. Staffing is often limited and underpaid at these facilities. These factors and general mismanagement of these facilities can cause employees to act out in anger, putting the health and safety of residents at risk.
Some of the most common examples of abuse that occurs in Carlsbad nursing homes include:
- Physical abuse like hitting, pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping, or punching
- Sexual abuse which involves any non-consensual sexually oriented contact
- Emotional abuse such as verbal taunting, screaming, and chastising
- Financial abuse may include stealing cash, checks, credit card numbers, or personal identifying information belonging to someone for some sort of monetary gain
What To Know About Carlsbad Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home residents rely on their caregivers for their everyday needs, including:
- Eating
- Personal hygiene
- Mobility
- Security
- Pain management and other medication administration
As such, one way in which their caregivers take advantage of residents is by neglecting their basic needs. They may accomplish this by:
- Ignoring residents’ calls for help when summoned to get something, for pain management, to turn residents in their beds to avoid bedsores, and to accompany them to the restroom
- Failing to change bed sheets, underwear, or diapers despite knowing that a resident has soiled them
- Not aiding a resident with putting in their dentures to chew or with feeding despite knowing they struggle with hand-eye coordination
Signs Your Loved One Has Suffered Nursing Home Abuse in Carlsbad, NM
Residents who have suffered nursing home abuse or neglect may show signs of:
- Sprains and strained ligaments
- New or unexplainable cuts, sores, and other wounds
- Sudden weight loss or gain
- A notable change in mood, such as irritability
- Broken bones
- A resident’s body or room may have a foul odor
- May have money that goes missing
- A resident may have developed an infection from sitting in their own waste
- Could have marks on their skin where restraints were applied
Your loved one may have also recently been prescribed a new medication.
Proving Liability in a Carlsbad Nursing Home Abuse Case
There are a few different steps you must take to prove liability in nursing home abuse cases, including:
- You must prove that the nursing home and its staff owed a duty of care to your resident loved one
- You must prove that the facility or staff’s negligence resulted in your loved one suffering harm
- You must connect the dots between the neglect or abuse your loved one suffered and the injuries they sustained
Reporting abuse or taking legal action against a Carlsbad nursing home where your loved one still resides may make you uncomfortable. That’s why the New Mexico Department of Health offers a confidential abuse, neglect, and exploitation hotline to report suspected elder abuse (1-800-445-6242) or lodge long-term facility complaints (1-800-752-8649).
Compensation You May Be Able To Recover by Filing a Carlsbad Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit
Much like with other personal injury cases, plaintiffs are eligible to recover financial compensation, including the following if they are successful in filing a nursing home negligence claim:
- Economic damages such as medical bills and funeral costs
- Noneconomic damages such as loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, or pain and suffering
- Punitive damages send a message to the responsible party of how inappropriate their actions were in an attempt to deter them from doing the same
How a Carlsbad Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Can Help
Getting help for a loved one to assist them in recovering from what they’ve been through and having to potentially relocate them to a different facility can be a lot to handle. Our Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm nursing home abuse attorneys can help take one responsibility off your plate that you’d otherwise have to handle.
A nursing home abuse lawyer from our Carlsbad law firm can help build a case against the facility or staff member who hurt your loved one. We can then walk you through every step of the legal process, whether our Carlsbad nursing home abuse lawyers resolve your case pre-trial or via litigation.
Get in touch with us now to schedule a free consultation so that we can discuss the next steps you need to follow to seek justice for your elderly loved one.
