Florida's Most Vulnerable in Danger of Abuse

Recent newspaper investigations have found rampant abuse and neglect in Florida's assisted-living facilities and now at a rehabilitation center for brain-injured patients in Hardee County. What these stories have in common is an indictment of Florida's regulators. Whether it is due to a lack of resources, regulatory tools or will, the state is failing to protect some of its most vulnerable residents. The result is that the state's frail, elderly and injured are left to try to protect themselves.

The latest scandal involves the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation, a 196-bed for-profit facility that is one of the largest brain-injury centers in the country. This is where patients who often can't make decisions for themselves are sent to recover from traumatic brain injuries. But an investigation by Bloomberg News found that abuse is common at FINR. One patient was so desperate to escape his beatings that he swallowed fishhooks to get transferred out.

Full Article and Source:
Florida's most vulnerable in danger of abuse

See Also:
Abuse of Brain Injured Americans Scandalizes U.S.

Patients Tell of Beatings at Rehabilitation Center