Oklahoma nursing homes were ranked among the worst in the nation in a report by Families for Better Care, an advocacy group, according to News 9 in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma ranked 48th in the nation in nursing home care last year and 49th this year, after the group reported that a quarter of state nursing homes were cited for harming residents, according to News 9. Incidents such as caregivers shoving dirty gloves into their mouths and caregivers being convicted of abuse led to the negative ranking.
Louisiana and Texas ranked behind Oklahaoma as the states with the worst nursing home care in the country.
A bill supported by the advocacy group Perfect Cause died in the House during the last session. “It’s god-awful, it’s gut wrenching,” Wes Bledsoe, a member of A Perfect Cause, told News 9. “In spite of all our efforts, we continue to fail and drop.” Rep. Joe Dorman told News 9, “We must do a better job at providing the proper resources and regulations make sure seniors are protected,”
Bledsoe said the group believes 3,500 Oklahomans are dying in nursing homes every year.
Former caregiver Anita Rich was sentenced to four years in prison last month after being convicted of abuse. Rich is just one of many Oklahoma nursing home worked cited for abuse.
To read more about Oklahoma’s subpar nursing home care, click here.
The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care. If you believe your loved one has been harmed due neglect or abuse in a nursing home, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
