Kentucky Elder Abuse Attorneys Call for Proactive Efforts to Combat Bedbugs in Nursing Homes
Posted in Press Releases on August 23, 2011J. Marshall Hughes and Lee Coleman of Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers say double-digit growth means bedbug infestations must be stopped before they happen.
Bowling Green, KY (PRWEB) August 23, 2011
Bowling Green attorney J. Marshall Hughes said today that a new report of a dramatic increase in bedbug activity in nursing homes is a call for vigilance and action on the part of those entrusted to care for the elderly.
Hughes is a founding partner of the Kentucky personal injury law firm, Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers, and a noted advocate for the rights and interests of Kentucky nursing home abuse and neglect victims.
“When pest control companies say they’ve seen double-digit growth in bedbug infestations over the past year, that is notice that operators of nursing homes, senior care centers and other long-term care facilities need to be taking proactive measures to guard against infestation,” Hughes said.
According to the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, their recent survey of more than 400 pest control companies or professionals across the country found that 99 percent of respondents had battled bedbugs in the past year.
Pest control professionals reported increased infestations in nursing homes (46 percent, up from 25 percent), hospitals (31 percent, up from 12 percent), and schools and daycare centers (36 percent, up from 10 percent), as well as in college dorms, hotels, office buildings, public transportation and movie theaters.
Seventy-three percent of professionals answering the survey called bedbugs the most difficult pest to control.
“Not taking adequate measures to protect nursing homes from pests like bedbugs before they arrive is tantamount to negligence,” said Lee Coleman, a Bowling Green lawyer and co-founder of Hughes & Coleman, which seeks compensation for Kentucky nursing home abuse and neglect victims through personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.
“If a nursing home patient is bitten by bedbugs, having allowed that to happen is abuse,” he said.
Hughes said the National Pest Management Association website lists several easily followed tips for preventing bedbugs in institutional settings such as nursing homes, including:
Vacuuming and cleaning all areas every day, including bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, lobbies, dining areas, kitchens and offices.
- Eliminating clutter, especially in storage areas, to reduce places for bed bugs to hide.
- Carefully inspecting all items and packaging for signs of bed bugs before they are brought into the nursing home.
- Regularly inspecting the seams of furniture, mattresses and upholstery; electrical sockets and surge protectors; and behind picture frames for brownish or reddish spots, the signs of bed bugs.
“Anyone with concerns about the health of a loved one who is a nursing home resident should contact an attorney experienced with nursing homes, elder abuse and other issues related to senior citizens,” Hughes said.
About Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers
Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers, with Kentucky offices in Bowling Green, Elizabethtown and Louisville, is dedicated to protecting the rights and interests of nursing home abuse and neglect victims, as well as the families who care deeply about their elderly loved ones.
Partners J. Marshall Hughes and Lee Coleman are accomplished injury attorneys and advocates for people who have suffered from nursing home neglect and abuse, as well as auto accidents, brain injury, drug injury, defective products, environmental dangers, fire and burn injury, insurance disputes, motorcycle accidents, premises liability, Social Security disability, stock fraud, truck accident injury, workers’ compensation and wrongful death.
For more information contact Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers at (800) 800-4600 or use the firm’s online contact form.
