Nursing Home Abuse is defined as repeated actions or the lack of appropriate action that causes harm or distress to an older person when in an institution or health care facility. It can take the form of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, among others. Cases may involve residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities who have suffered physical and/or psychological harm due to negligent or intentional acts of their caregivers. A nursing home abuse attorney may seek to hold a care facility liable based on legal theories like negligent screening and supervision of employees, or improper facility maintenance.
Wauchula is a city located in Hardee County, Florida, United States, and had a population of 4,368 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 4,441. It is the county seat of Hardee County. Wauchula has been called the "Cucumber Capital of the World", although citrus has become a more important agricultural crop over the past few decades. It is home to the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation, a residential therapy facility for people who have suffered debilitating brain trauma. In 1978, Wauchula was the location of the "Baby Swap", which took place at Hardee Memorial Hospital, where the babies Arlena Twigg and Kimberly Mays were switched and sent home with the wrong parents. (This event was documented in the book The Baby Swap Conspiracy by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel, and in the 1991 made-for-TV movie Switched at Birth). Barbara Coker Mays, the natural mother of Arlena Twigg, who died from a congenital heart defect on August 23 1988, was a member of one of Hardee county's prominent families, the Cokers. Bryant Coker was involved in the building and financing of the hospital, and had a commemorative plaque at Hardee Memorial; H L Coker was on the board of trustees. Hardee Memorial, a modern, beige two-storey building, served the area until July 1992, when it declared bankruptcy due to the legal battle over the baby swap case and closed its doors, according to Schwartz-Nobel. It is now served by the Florida Hospital.