Milroy works with seniors to protect rights
Rep. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, met last week with representatives from the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, AARP Wisconsin members, and Citizen Action of Wisconsin as well as several colleagues in announcing the Senior Citizen Protection Act.
Rep. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, met last week with representatives from the Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, AARP Wisconsin members, and Citizen Action of Wisconsin as well as several colleagues in announcing the Senior Citizen Protection Act. This bill would restore rights to nursing home residents, allowing them to hold their care facilities accountable for neglect, abuse or other injuries.
“Senior citizens should not have to sign away their rights to live in a nursing home or other long-term care facility,” Milroy said on Wednesday. “Because of Governor Walker’s legislation this session, seniors who have been neglected or abused by their caregivers face an enormous uphill battle to pursue legal action against these facilities.”
Under Act 2, signed into law earlier this year, incident reports and onsite records from elderly care homes cannot be used in court proceedings against negligent facilities. The Senior Citizen Protection Act would make these records available to judges and juries when deciding a case.
In addition, the bill removes arbitrary limits on punitive damages as well as protecting against binding mandatory arbitration clauses that limit or waive a resident’s right to sue a nursing home if they are injured at that facility.
“We need to protect our vulnerable citizens who live in these long-term facilities. A nursing home that is guilty of these acts should not be shielded from facing justice in a court of law,” Milroy said.
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