Having a loved one in a nursing home should be a way to ensure their safety. Nursing homes are supposed to take care of their residents, including handling medical problems and preventing abuse. This is not always the case, though.
If your loved one has unexplained bruises, cuts, or burns, these are signs of abuse or neglect. There is no reason why your loved one should have unexplained injuries. It is true that it is possible for nursing home residents to suffer injuries due to accidents. The nursing home should have documentation of these accidents and the steps that they take to address them. Having unexplained injuries likely indicates that the home is neglecting your loved one since they can’t account for the injuries, or that your loved one was abused by a staff member that did not report it.
If you think that your loved one is experiencing nursing home abuse or neglect, take action to remove your loved one from the home. You can consult the office of a Newark unexplained bruises or cuts or burns lawyer to see what your legal options are. You may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation and hold the home accountable. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 201-3999 to discuss your case with our legal team.
Causes of Unexplained Bruises, Cuts, or Burns
There are several reasons why your loved one may have unexplained bruises, cuts, and burns. These reasons include:
- Accidents away from caregivers: It is entirely possible that accidents happen out of the sight of caregivers. It is up to those caregivers to investigate and find out what happened as soon as they are made aware of the injury. An uncooperative or forgetful resident may make it difficult to determine the exact cause of an injury.
- Forgetfulness: If an accident happens and a resident is injured without witnesses, they may be the only one that knows what happened. Because of forgetfulness or a mental disorder like dementia, it may not be possible to remember what happened.
- Loss of dexterity: People lose dexterity, the ability to coordinate their limbs well, as they age or experience certain injuries. This can lead to accidents that cause injuries.
- Abuse: There is always the possibility that the injury was caused by abuse from a staff member or another resident.
There are other possible causes of unexplained bruises, cuts, and burns that are not explored on this list. Regardless of the cause, nursing homes should be monitoring their residents and addressing these problems. If the nursing home is not, your loved one may either be neglected or abused. If you think that this is the case, investigate and remove your loved one from that home as soon as possible.
Signs of Elder Abuse
Elder abuse can take many forms, ranging from physical injuries to mental abuse. According to the National Centers on Elder Abuse (NCEA), one in three nursing homes has received a citation for abuse or neglect.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), financial abuse happens when someone steals a nursing home patient’s credentials so that they can steal money out of their accounts. Seniors, in particular, are at risk of financial abuse. This can be a serious problem going forward as it can drain their accounts of the funds that they need to pay for their care. On a fixed income, it may not be possible to replace those funds.
The key to addressing elder abuse is understanding what causes it. Training and education may be a major factor. It believes that with specialized training related to stress management, work procedures, and care ethics, it may be possible to prevent the elder abuse problem.
For a free legal consultation with a Newark Unexplained Bruises, Cuts, or Burns Lawyer serving Newark, call (800) 794-0444
Your Legal Rights
If your loved one is the victim of elder abuse or nursing home neglect, you can file a lawsuit on his or her behalf. Addressing abuse can be expensive, specifically because of medical and relocation expenses to get your loved one into another home. You can sue to recover compensation for these costs.
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Seeking Legal Action
If you think that you are going to take legal action, there are several things to consider first. Consult a lawyer for specific guidance on how to proceed. Your next steps will be to build a case so that you can file the lawsuit. This process requires evidence gathering.
Fortunately, you can have a lawyer help with this process and file your lawsuit. Before you even begin the process of seeking legal action, make sure that your loved one is taken care of. Seek medical attention and remove them from that home.
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Statute of Limitations
When filing a lawsuit, there is a limit to the amount of time you have to build and file the lawsuit. As you move further away from the incident, it becomes harder to prove that it happened. Witnesses and evidence can disappear in that time.
The statute of limitations in New Jersey for nursing home abuse is two years. That means that you have two years from the date of the incident or the date that you found out that an injury was caused by the incident to file a lawsuit. If you miss the deadline, you may lose the chance to seek compensation from a negligent party through a lawsuit.
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Contact Us for a Free Consultation
When a nursing home fails to protect your loved one, you can take legal action to seek compensation. Consider how a Newark unexplained bruises or cuts or burns lawyer can help. With careful care and planning, you can build a case against the at-fault care provider or the nursing home itself to recover compensation for all of the steps taken to ensure that your loved one receives better care.
If you plan on filing a personal injury lawsuit, you can discuss it with our legal team. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 201-3999 for a free consultation about your case.
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