State Care Often Fails Developmentally Disabled

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Soraya Dadras

Trying to find the right type of care for your loved one who is developmentally disabled can be extremely difficult. The developmentally disabled population is often fragile, immobile and some are unruly and inclined toward violence. Yet in some states, their care and unexplained deaths are gone ignored, and families are left to mourn the loss of their loved one whose death could have been prevented.

In New York for example, it is especially common for people who are developmentally disabled to die of reasons other than natural causes. In fact, one in six of all deaths in state and privately run homes have been attributed to either unnatural or unknown causes. State records also revealed that problems leading to the deaths rarely resulted in system wide steps like alerts to all operators of homes, to prevent these occurrences from happening. Not only are there many cases of neglect and preventable accidents, there are also a lapse in maintaining safety standards. When one home burned to the ground, it was revealed that it had unrealistic evacuation measures, which caused the death of four residents.

Lawsuits that represent the developmentally disabled in these heartbreaking cases are rare because the economic damages are challenging to assess, because most of the victims are seldom employed. Most families are simply grateful to have a group home for their relative at all. Do not let the systems that are in place by the state take advantage of your loved one. Your loved one deserves the best care and if their well being and life is compromised from a situation that should have been properly monitored, then pursuing legal action can help thousands of people no suffer the same fate.
 
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Child Shocked by Taser Causes Investigation on Group Homes

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Jessica Navarro

A children’s representative appointed by the province of British Columbia has launched an investigation on group homes in the province after an incident occurred involving an 11-year-old boy being shocked by a Taser gun. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond stated that she has made her concerns known regarding certain group homes’ use of police force in disciplinary matters with group home residents.

In the incident involving the 11-year-old boy, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had to be called when a 37-year-old employee was stabbed. When police arrived, they shocked the boy with the Taser when he was arrested. Several other incidents had been uncovered wherein police used Tasers on children ranging in age from 13 years to 17 years of age. Investigations continue into the incident to determine all the details.

If the person that was shocked with the Taser had not been a child, the incident could probably have been deemed self defense on the part of the police. However, this incident raises many questions whether using a Taser was appropriate given that the person involved was an 11-year-old child. If the police are found to have used excessive force against the child, a lawsuit could result. Turpel-Lafond stated incidents like this have occurred very frequently in British Columbia. There was no word on whether any investigations were launched regarding any of those incidents. One other important factor of this incident is the fact that there was a 37-year-old stab victim. The 11-year-old child was reportedly a suspect in that stabbing. However, if the child did not have the knife on his person at the time of the arrest, the use of the Taser could be constituted as excessive force.
 
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Violence in Albuquerque Group Home Shows Need for Adequate Staffing, Management

Posted on December 23, 2009 by Martin Solomon

An Albuquerque group home for children with hearing impairment may be shut down due to excessive calls to the police. The Albuquerque news reports that the police have been to the home "dozens of times," responding to violence and threats. Some of the teens reportedly threatened to kill staff members, broke windows and slapped their caregivers.

The operators admit the situation is not appropriate. They claim to have taken steps towards a better environment, including giving staff "additional training." This begs the question, "why wasn't the staff trained properly to begin with?" Additionally, one wonders how healthy this environment can be for the teens when the staff can't control the situation and police must be called. A group home is supposed to be a supportive environment that helps its members adapt and function in society. This level of chaos and stress would surely hinder that kind of development

This article indicates the importance of a properly trained staff and safe group home environment. If a member of your family is in a group home, be sure to make sure they caregivers manage issues constructively. And, always be aware of the signs of abuse or neglect that may be occurring.
 

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