A nursing home should be a place where senior citizens can live in peace, finding excellent companionship and activities to help them lead full lives in their elder years. Many times, the nursing home serves exactly that purpose. However, sometimes, nursing home staff violate the standard of care and residents sadly suffer mistreatment.
If you believe your loved one is suffering from abuse, it is important to stand up for his or her rights and put a stop to it. A Cicero nursing home abuse lawyer can help. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse
Types of elder abuse that may occur in a nursing home include:
- Physical abuse: where the abuser causes physical pain for the victim, perhaps leading to a visible injury.
- Emotional abuse: where the abuser threatens, harasses, intimidates, or verbally assaults the victim, leading to emotional trauma.
- Neglect: where the abuser ignores the basic life needs of the elder victim, such as providing proper nutritional requirements, clothing, bedding, or timely medication.
- Confinement: where the abuser purposefully isolates the elder victim without a proper medical reason.
- Deprivation: where the abuser willfully denies the elder important aspects of care, such as physical assistance or a therapeutic device, risking physical or emotional harm.
- Sexual abuse: where the abuser touches, fondles, or has intercourse with the victim through threatening, forcing, or taking advantage of a victim who cannot understand what is happening.
A nursing home resident could be suffering from one or more of these types of abuse. If you suspect abuse, it is important to seek help for the victim as quickly as possible. Call the Cicero nursing home abuse attorneys at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm for help. Contact us today.
Recognizing Elder Abuse
You do not have to be a professional to recognize the abuse of a loved one in a nursing home. In fact, as a loved one, you may be best able to see changes in your loved one that indicate an abusive situation at the nursing home.
Some of the signs that indicate abuse could be occurring include:
- Malnutrition.
- Dehydration.
- Unexplained bruises.
- Unexplained sores.
- Wearing soiled or torn clothing.
- Poor cleanliness.
- Lack of personal hygiene.
- Sudden and unexpected changes in mood.
- Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities.
- Withdrawing from others.
Additionally, if your loved one shows a fear of being left alone with certain staff members or certain residents, this could be an indication that abuse is occurring.
Reporting Abuse
Even if you are not entirely certain abuse occurred, you should report it and let authorities make the final determination.
If you witness abuse occurring at the nursing home, whether it is involving your loved one or another resident, you should call 911 immediately and report it to law enforcement.
You can hire a compassionate Cicero nursing home abuse lawyer to help you make a report to the IDPH and to the administrators or owners of the nursing home.
For a free legal consultation with a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer serving Cicero, call (800) 842-6336
Determining the Responsible Party for Nursing Home Abuse
Your loved one may have medical expenses related to the care required after the abuse. Physical abuse can result in many kinds of injuries that need a doctor’s care. Emotional abuse may require therapy or medications for treatment. You should not have to pay for the treatment for any injuries yourself.
Receiving Compensation
No matter who is responsible for the abuse that is occurring at the nursing home, the administration should have put a stop to it if they were overseeing the nursing home staff’s actions. Nursing homes have a legal obligation to provide the best possible care for their residents. If this is not occurring, the administration, staff, and owners should be held liable.
When you file a lawsuit against the responsible parties for the abuse, you are seeking compensation for medical costs incurred so far, estimated medical costs in the future, pain and suffering, among other items.
Some cases like this settle out of court through negotiations. Other times, the case goes to trial.
Cicero Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me (800) 842-6336
Cicero Nursing Home Injury Lawyer
When your loved one sustains an injury while living in a nursing home, you should always take this matter seriously. Ask questions to management and staff until you receive answers. Do not rest until they assure you that whichever injuries your loved one sustained are genuinely the result of an accident. If you do not receive those answers, it is time to call law enforcement to investigate. It is also time to get in touch with a Cicero nursing home injury lawyer.
Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today if you suspect that your loved one suffered mistreatment while living in a nursing home.
Take Action Right Away if You Suspect Mistreatment
If you suspect that your loved one is being mistreated in their nursing home, the first thing that you should do is contact staff since they are in charge of your loved one’s safety. You should receive assurance that your loved one is being treated with care.
This may not be enough for you. If you are not satisfied with the explanations from nursing home administrators, contact law enforcement and let them know about any mistreatment that you suspect. If you believe that abuse has taken place resulting in an injury to your loved one, then you should call a Cicero nursing home injury lawyer immediately.
A Lawyer Will Help You Spot the Signs of Abuse
If your loved one’s injury is the result of abuse by nursing home staff, it is important that you consider the signs that may indicate abuse from your previous interactions or visits to the facility in the past. This could play a role in any case you bring seeking compensation from parties liable for the abuse.
Physical and Emotional Abuse
Unfortunately, the elderly are the targets for various forms of abuse by perpetrators. Physical abuse and emotional abuse are two forms of elder abuse. If your loved one has an injury with an unknown origin or explanation, it may be evidence of physical abuse. According to the National Institute on Aging, possible indications of physical abuse, include:
- Injuries such as cuts, bruises, scrapes, burns, and lacerations.
- Broken bones, specifically a spiral fracture, which happens when someone twists a bone, indicating abuse.
When it comes to spotting the signs of elder abuse in your loved one’s personality, some of the changes could include:
- Showing signs of fear and anxiety in situations where it seems unusual.
- A depressed mood.
- Withdrawing from activities that your loved one typically enjoys.
- Acting out violently.
- Displaying fear towards specific caregivers.
Another form of mistreatment that is common in nursing homes is neglect by caretakers.
Neglect
Neglect can put your loved one’s health at immediate risk. Some possible signs of neglect include:
- Poor hygiene, such as uncleaned teeth or dentures, excessive body odor, and other indications that your loved one is not regularly or properly bathing.
- Uncombed hair.
- Dirty clothes.
- Unshaven face.
- Full bedpan.
- Bedsores.
Neglect and physical abuse can have a crippling effect on your loved one’s mental health, as can emotional abuse. If your loved one displays one or more of these possible signs of neglect or physical abuse in the past, then you may have reason to bring a lawsuit against the liable parties.
A Cicero Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Will Start Your Case For Compensation
If your loved one suffers elder abuse or neglect, then someone is responsible, and justice must be served. A lawyer will speak to you about your loved one’s injury and any other indications that they suffered harm.
A Cicero nursing home injury lawyer will assist you by:
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- Creating a clear record of your observations that is ready for use in court.
- Documenting any recollection that your loved one has of being abused or neglected, which could be powerful evidence.
- Filing your case in court as soon as possible.
- Collecting any available evidence of wrongdoing by the defendant or defendants in your case, such as closed-circuit videotape of abuse or neglect.
- Interviewing any witnesses that can attest that abuse or neglect took place.
- Consulting with medical professionals, who may be able to explain that injuries suffered by your loved one are consistent with abuse or neglect.
- Corresponding with counsel for the defense to make you aware of any settlement offers that the defense extends.
- Taking every step necessary to bring your case to completion, either a judgement or settlement.
- Defending your rights throughout the legal process.
A Cicero nursing home injury lawyer will use a combination of physical evidence, testimony, and logic in order to show the court that your loved one sustained injuries while living in a nursing home. If they are successful in putting forth your case, then your loved one could be entitled to compensation for their hardship.
Possible Compensation From a Nursing Home Abuse Claim
Every claim of abuse or neglect is unique, and the compensation that your loved one may be entitled to will vary depending on the specifics of their case. Some possible forms of awards include coverage for:
- The trauma of being abused or neglected by those who are supposed to be caring and protective.
- Medical procedures that are necessary to treat abuse or victims of neglect.
- The time that they spent in the nursing home where the abuse occurred.
Click to contact our Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers today
Contact Us Today for Help with Your Case
You may have tried bringing up reports of abuse of your loved one to the staff and administration of the nursing home. You also may feel like those whose job it is to protect the residents are ignoring your concerns. Perhaps they make promises about changes that will occur, yet you notice nothing is changing.
At this point, it may be time to call in the services of a Cicero nursing home abuse lawyer. We know how to protect the rights of nursing home residents against nursing homeowners who do not want to listen. We will fight for the compensation and awards your loved one deserves, helping to put a stop to the abuse.
Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today. We do not shy away from tough cases, as we believe those who were responsible for the abuse should always pay for the treatment the victim requires. We will not accept payment for our services until we reach a satisfactory settlement in the case.
Call or text (800) 842-6336 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
