How a Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Can Help

Many nursing home facilities are understaffed, and too few nursing home workers receive the training they need to properly care for senior patients. Those failings increase the odds for mistreatment and neglect among nursing home residents.

When working with a nursing home abuse and neglect attorney at Avrek Law Firm, victims and their families can realize the maximum amount of compensation when a senior was harmed by staff members or other residents at a nursing home.

Common Signs of Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse

There are several common signs of nursing home abuse and neglect to be aware of:

• Bed Sores According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one out of 10 nursing home residents suffer from bed sores. Residents in nursing homes are at high risk for bedsores since they are more likely to remain sedentary for lengthy periods of time. Bedsores are primarily the result of inattention and improper care.

• Medication Errors Nursing facilities can be short-staffed. A typical nursing home resident takes several prescribed medicines each day. Mistakes, including ones involving medication, aren’t uncommon by an overworked, overwhelmed nursing staff. The consequences for medication errors, including skipped doses or taking the wrong set of pills, can be catastrophic for the resident.

• Intentional Overdosing Mistakes by a well-intentioned staff member can happen, but even more troubling is staffs’ frequent use of intentional overdosing in order to subdue what they deem to be disruptive residents.

• Dehydration Most frequently, dehydration happens in nursing homes as a result of neglect. Dehydration can set in very quickly and will most certainly lead to an array of other problems such as ulcers, bedsore, dementia, weakened immune system, pneumonia, electrolyte imbalances and infections.

• Malnutrition Most nursing homes provide adequate amounts of nutritious foods. However, many elderly residents do not eat the food that is provided for a variety of reasons. It is critical that nursing home staff monitor the eating patterns of residents and provide needed assistance during meal times. For a frail, elderly person, a few missed meals can prove to be devastating.

• General Neglect This can refer to any number of other incidents of neglect, including not responding to patient requests, not tending to soiled bedding or not changing bandages in a timely manner.

What Do Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorneys Do?

Often, seniors enter a nursing home when they are no longer able to properly care for themselves. The nursing home and staff are trusted to keep seniors safe and healthy. Unfortunately, harm can sometimes come to these seniors at the hands of that staff through:

• Financial extortion
• Physical violence
• Emotional harm
• Sexual molestation

A nursing home abuse and neglect attorney will meet with the victim and/or their immediate family members to determine if legal action against the nursing home can be taken. Once the circumstances of the abuse allegation, history of the victim’s nursing home care, and the victim’s physical and mental capacities have been established, the personal injury attorney can recommend the next steps and file a lawsuit on the victim’s behalf.

Contact a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Avrek Law Firm

If a loved one has suffered an injury or is not thriving in a nursing home setting, you may be justified in suspecting abuse or neglect. Contact our skilled personal injury attorneys at Avrek Law Firm for guidance on the next steps you should take.

To receive a free case review, call our office or fill out the online form today!