Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Offices in Flowood, Mendenhall, and Magee, Mississippi.
Choosing a nursing home for your loved one is a difficult decision — one that can become much worse if your family member experiences abuse in its care. Many senior care facilities provide adequate care for the patients, but some residents unfortunately become victims of nursing home neglect and abuse. When this happens to your loved one, a nursing home abuse lawyer from The Stubbs Law Firm can help you take legal action.
What Is Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse refers to neglect, mistreatment, or abuse at the hands of the care staff. Abuse in nursing homes can take on many forms. In the case of nursing home neglect, staff members fail to provide adequate care, whether intentionally or due to being short-staffed, poorly trained, or another reason. Abuse happens when a nursing home staff member intentionally inflicts pain or harm on a resident. It can be physical abuse, sexual abuse, or emotional abuse.
It's not always easy to spot signs of abuse, especially if your loved one can't communicate what's happening to them. Some potential signs include:
Unexplained injuries, including broken bones, bruises and cuts
Severe bedsores
Unexpected weight loss
Dehydration or malnutrition
New sexually transmitted infections
Changes in behavior
Social withdrawal
Unexplained financial transactions
What to Do if You Suspect Abuse?
How you handle suspected abuse depends on the situation. If your loved one is in immediate danger due to the situation, call the police to have them intervene or investigate. You may be able to file a police report about the abuse.
If the situation isn't urgent, stay calm and collect evidence to maintain control. Some signs that look like abuse could have a logical explanation. For instance, your loved one might fall while getting out of bed on their own instead of waiting for a staff member to help them, resulting in a broken bone.
Document your evidence with photos and details of injuries. Talking to your loved one about the situation could also help you gain insight depending on their cognitive state.
Take your concerns to the nursing home staff. Hear them out to determine if there's a logical explanation for the signs you noticed. Going to the management team is a suitable course of action when you suspect abuse. You have to feel out the situation to determine if you believe what they're saying and to decide if they take your concerns seriously.
If you still believe your loved one is being abused, report the situation to the state. Each state has protective services for older adults. The agency in charge of adult care should investigate the claims to determine if nursing home residents are in danger at the facility.
You can also retain a nursing home abuse lawyer if you want to pursue legal action. Experienced nursing home abuse lawyers guide you through the process of filing a claim and can give you legal advice on how to receive compensation for the abuse.
Do You Need an Attorney?
You can file a claim independently, but working with a nursing home abuse attorney is recommended. Nursing home attorneys specialize in these situations, so they know your options and how you should proceed.
How Can an Attorney Help You?
When you work with an attorney, you get personalized legal advice and assistance throughout the case. They help you decide what type of case to file. For example, if your loved one dies due to the abuse, you may be able to file a wrongful death suit. In other cases, a personal injury case might be your best option. Your attorney helps with all parts of the process, including:
Gathering and evaluating evidence
Proving negligence on the part of the nursing home
Filing a lawsuit
Negotiating with the other parties involved
Representing you in a court case
Your lawyer ensures you file your case within the allowed timeframe. They can often negotiate a higher settlement amount for you because they're familiar with negotiation tactics.
Frequent Types of Nursing Home Abuse Injuries
There are several ways that residents can be abused in a nursing home, including:
Physical: This includes actions that physically harm the resident, including assault or actions like using restraints when they're not necessary.
Sexual: Caregivers inflict this type of abuse when they perform any type of unwanted sexual contact.
Verbal or Emotional: In this type of abuse, the caregiver might use threats, insults, isolation, or other tactics to harm the resident mentally.
Financial: Some caregivers take advantage of residents' vulnerable conditions and steal money from them through various methods.
Neglect: In this situation, caregivers don't provide adequate medical care or support based on the person's needs. This might include not administering medication properly, not meeting their hygiene needs, or failing to give them adequate food or water.
How Long Do Nursing Home Abuse Cases Take?
When A nursing home abuse case can take anywhere from months to years to complete. It's common for these cases to last about two years. Since every case is unique, estimating how long your case will take is challenging. The case's complexity is often a significant factor in how long it takes to reach a settlement or a verdict. When you work with a nursing home abuse lawyer from The Stubbs Law Firm, you have someone by your side for the duration of the case.
Why Choose The Stubbs Law Firm?
At The Stubbs Law Firm, we're experts in nursing home abuse as well as other areas of practice, including family law, car accidents, and criminal defense. No matter what type of case you have, our attorneys give you personal attention so we can offer you the best possible representation. Every client receives the highest level of care and service. Call us today if you're dealing with nursing home abuse.
