Brain Injury Victims "Stuck" In Nursing Homes
The Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts and four others have filed a class action lawsuit against Governor Deval Patrick and other state officials. The plaintiffs say that the state has violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by "unnecessary and prolonged institutionalization" of those with brain injuries. The lawsuit says that over 8,000 brain injury victims in Massachusetts live in commonwealth rehabilitation facilities, but a quarter of those could live facility-free if support was available.
Richard Johnston, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the case, says that the state is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities act because states may not "force people with disabilities to live in nursing homes, as Massachusetts presently does, in order to get the services they need."
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