Arizona Disability Advocates for Mixing Populations
When people with physical or developmental disabilities are placed in a residential group home facility, it is assumed that the staff and administration will not only pay attention to the individual needs of each resident, but that they will also consider the group dynamics of placing residents together as roommates or housemates. Failure to properly group residents together can create a dangerous climate and lead to abuse.
Group home administrators have a responsibility to protect the safety of their residents and improperly mixing populations in a way which can leave residents vulnerable to abuse is a violation of that responsibility. Roommate and housemate assignments should be made by trained administrators who have carefully considered the individual needs of all of the residents.
If you have a loved one who resides in a residential group home and they have suffered physical abuse by their roommates or housemates, the responsibility may lie with the negligent group home administrators who made the roommate assignment. If your loved one resides in a group home in Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa or elsewhere in Maricopa County, you should contact an Arizona group home abuse lawyer to discuss your case and decide the best course of action. An Arizona group home abuse attorney can not only help you and your loved one, but they can also work to end the practice of dangerously mixing populations in order to ensure the safety of future residents.
Mixing Populations
Mixing populations usually refers to assigning roommates and housemates with different disabilities and care plans. Since many group homes serve residents with a wide variety of physical and developmental disabilities, mixing populations is common and, if done correctly, can be safe and even rewarding. However it must me done carefully, by well-trained administrators who have the residents’ best interest in mind.
When assigning roommates and housemates in a residential group home, the most important consideration, as with all other elements of the resident’s care, should be the resident’s individual needs and quality of life. Unfortunately, in an effort to minimize costs, many group homes may be overcrowded and insufficiently staffed. In these situations, residents’ individual needs are often less important than the convenience of the staff, and this can lead to dangerous situations in which populations are inappropriately mixed.
Dangers of Mixing Populations
The biggest danger of mixing populations is that a resident may get placed with a roommate or housemate who is violent and/or presents a danger to others. A violent or dangerous resident may physically injure their roommates, causing bruises, broken bones, head injuries or other physical harm. Since many of these dangerous residents cannot control their actions, the responsibility lies completely with the group home administration to identify possibly dangerous residents and protect the other residents from them. If they have failed to do so, they may be found negligent and legally responsible for endangering residents’ safety.
Contact an Arizona Group Home Abuse Lawyer
If you believe that your loved one may be a victim of abuse by another group home resident in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale or elsewhere in Maricopa County, the group home administration may be at fault. It is best to consult with an Arizona group home abuse lawyer to discuss your case. For more information, please visit http://www.grouphomeabuselawyer.com/
