Did your elderly family member endure rapid weight loss or hair loss in an Atlanta nursing home? Nursing homes are held to a high legal standard of care, and sudden baldness or weight loss may be a symptom of neglect or abusive treatment. Pintas & Mullins Law Firm works for families that experienced nursing home neglect and abuse and can help determine your legal options. See how an Atlanta rapid weight loss or hair loss lawyer can help you.
Recoverable Compensation in an Atlanta Nursing Home Neglect Case
If there has been neglect or abuse, you or your loved one may be able to recover financial compensation for:
- Therapy and treatment costs
- Pain and suffering
- Cost of relocating to a new facility
- Punitive damages
Neglect and Abuse Can Have Devastating Effects
Roughly one in 10 elderly people are abused or neglected, and such mistreatment can raise their risk of premature death by 300%, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Elder abuse is rarely reported in contrast to how often it occurs; 24 instances of elder abuse exist for every case that is known to authorities, according to the Office of Children and Family Services.
Elder abuse or neglect in nursing homes is unfortunately common. According to Medicare, sudden weight loss or hair loss in an assisted living facility is a sign of elder abuse, malnutrition, or neglect.
One-fifth of nursing home residents experience some form of malnutrition according to Clinical Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care. Under conditions of malnutrition, common side effects include:
- Rapid weight loss
- Sudden baldness or thinning hair
- Chronic fatigue
- Dry skin and hair
- Bruises, wounds, or broken bones
- Bedsores
- Cognitive decay
- Onset of blindness or deafness
- Difficulty regulating body temperature
- Changes in mood or demeanor
These health issues are challenging, life-threatening, and can make it difficult to communicate. Often an elderly person may be too embarrassed to speak up about mistreatment. In some cases, part of abuse can include shaming or intimidating the victim.
These are just some of the tragic symptoms that could appear if your elderly loved one is experiencing abuse or neglect at their nursing home. If you read the signs above and think they apply to your loved one, you may want to discuss your concerns with management or Atlanta’s Ombudsman.
For a free legal consultation with a Atlanta Rapid Weight Loss or Hair Loss Lawyer serving Atlanta, call (800) 794-0444
Common Risk Factors of Elder Abuse or Neglect
Many different factors contribute to the risk of a patient being neglected or abused in a nursing home. These issues can be a sign of elevated chances of elder abuse or neglect:
- Dementia or Alzheimer’s
- Inadequate family support
- Having a disability
- Having a lower socioeconomic standing
- Weakened overall health
These situations above may represent an increased risk of elder abuse or neglect in a nursing home. Though there is always the potential for an abusive or neglectful situation to occur for anyone in a nursing home, it is important to be on alert for family members who are at increased risk, especially with cases of dementia or Alzheimer’s. Memory is vital to being able to recall abuse, and sadly some would take advantage of a patient’s chronic memory loss to inflict abuse.
Abusive Over-Medication
Nursing home abuse may also manifest in the form of unnecessary prescriptions. Studies have repeatedly shown that assisted care facilities routinely prescribe new medicine, according to Human Rights Watch, over 179,000 Americans without a diagnosis of psychosis are receiving antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes. Caregivers may overmedicate to keep residents quiet and make their jobs easier. In other cases, they might do so accidentally. In either case, overmedication can cause a loss of appetite or even a loss of hair.
If you believe your loved one was wrongly prescribed medication in their nursing home, we may be able to help you recover financial compensation for that harm.
Atlanta Atlanta Rapid Weight Loss or Hair Loss Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Why You Might Want to Hire an Atlanta Rapid Weight Loss Or Hair Loss Lawyer
There are numerous risks and challenges in taking on a case of elder neglect or abuse related to rapid weight loss or hair loss. To survey some common challenges in raising these cases, it can be difficult to:
- Get information from the nursing home due to their adversarial stance
- Obtain testimony from elderly patients who may suffer communication-related disabilities
- Manage deadlines and relevant local laws
- Sort out pre-existing conditions versus new trauma
If you find any of the above points confusing, you are not alone. A lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm will be able to assess your case and the appropriate next steps to ensure your claim is treated with the professionalism and care that you deserve.
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Time Is Limited To Receive Compensation
There are several factors that may limit the amount of time you have to recover compensation as a result of elder abuse, neglect, or malnourishment:
- The facility could go out of business
- The facility could declare bankruptcy
- Statutory limitations on filing the case may expire sooner than you think
- Unforeseen personal challenges
Georgia Code § 9-3-33 states that for cases such as this, personal injury, there is a window of two years in which to file your lawsuit with the courts. The law is less clear on when this timer begins in the process of elder abuse, neglect, or malnourishment.
However, our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you understand how these specifics affect your situation. What is certain is that it is better to act sooner, because the statute of limitations may have started earlier than you may have assumed.
We understand that being in a nursing home can be a vulnerable place, and Pintas & Mullins Law Firm is here to represent individuals who were neglected, harmed, or abused in Atlanta nursing homes. Let an Atlanta rapid weight loss or hair loss lawyer get to work on your claim while your loved one focuses on recovery, and call us today.
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