Nursing home official denies widespread abuse

Monday, May 6, 2002 | 9:34 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A representative of Nevada's nursing homes challenged statements suggesting there is widespread neglect and abuse among patients in Las Vegas.

Charles Perry, executive director of the state Nursing Home Care Association, said there may be technical violations but that the care of patients is good.

Perry took issue on Friday with comments made recently at a meeting of the Nevada Silver Haired Forum in Las Vegas and Carson City.

"If somebody screwed up, they need to be called to account," Perry said. But he called most of the violations "little errors" such as meals or medicine being delivered 15 minutes late or the meal not being hot or cold enough for the patient.

At the Wednesday meeting Mark Morrow, founding partner of the Nursing Home Justice Center, said, "I guarantee every facility has neglect and abuse in Las Vegas."

Morrow, a Las Vegas attorney who handles senior abuse cases, said the biggest problem is the lack of staff and in some cases a lack of training of nurses or aides to report cases of abuse or neglect.

Perry said Morrow's organization's goal "is to put the nursing homes out of business" and to collect court judgments against them in neglect or abuse cases.

Morrow said his goal is to help nursing homes improve their services to their elderly clients.