Contact a lawyer for help with your loved one’s memory care facility abuse claim.
Seniors with dementia and other cognitive issues are, unfortunately, particularly vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Memory care facility residents may not be able to either report the abuse or recognize it. This potentially puts them at risk of being targeted by abusers who may try to take advantage of their condition.
If your loved one suffers abuse, you are not alone. An Atlanta lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you get justice and compensation for your loved one’s memory care facility abuse. We offer a free consultation to determine your next best steps.
The Compensation You Could Recover
Recovering compensation can help you handle medical bills and other expenses that may have been mounting up. Moreover, receiving compensation could provide some comfort and additional treatments to help your loved one recover.
Damages could include:
- Medical expenses and future healthcare needs
- Costs for medical devices and medications
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Awards for physical pain and anguish
- Awards for emotional suffering
- Awards for reduced life quality
You could also recover other types of compensation. An abuse lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can take on a case against the memory care facility and analyze your loved one’s economic and non-economic damages, giving you an indication of your claim’s value.
How Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Can Help
Having an attorney from our team by your side following memory care facility abuse can be reassuring during a stressful and upsetting time. We can help you hold the negligent facility accountable for your damages. Ways in which we can help you build a case against the facility can include:
Researching the Relevant Laws and Regulations
Although memory care facilities do not have to follow the same strict laws as nursing homes, they must observe federal and state regulations, such as those from the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). Your lawyer from our team can analyze your case and determine whether the facility violated any laws, which can help prove liability.
Interviewing Witnesses
Your lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm will try to speak with your loved one directly if they can communicate. Your attorney will also try to interview any memory care facility employees or former employees, family members, and other individuals who may have witnessed abuse or seen any signs of abuse.
Witnesses can also testify to any changes in your relative’s emotional or physical health, pointing to mistreatment.
Reviewing Records and Dathering Evidence
Your lawyer will research records such as the facility’s inspection reports to establish any previous violations or problems. An attorney from our team can prove negligence by scouring the memory care facility’s records and uncovering negligent hiring practices, lack of staff training, and other potential violations.
Organizing Relevant Medical Records
To recover compensation, your lawyer will have to prove that the abuse occurring in the memory care facility resulted directly in your loved one’s injuries and financial losses. Your attorney from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can talk to medical providers to obtain the necessary reports linking your loved one’s injuries to abuse or neglect.
Giving You Peace of Mind
Finding out that your loved one suffered from abuse in a memory care facility can be heartbreaking and beyond stressful. An attorney from our team can be there for you during this difficult time. You can concentrate on helping your loved one through this difficult time while we handle the legal aspects of your case.
Types and Signs of Memory Care Facility Abuse
Unfortunately, detecting abuse can be difficult, especially when your loved one cannot verbally express themself. Abuse in memory care facilities can come in many forms, including:
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is the deliberate action to cause pain and harm to a senior and includes shoving, hitting, and pushing a resident. Physical violence typically leaves signs on the victim’s body such as:
- Bruises
- Bone fractures
- Cuts
- Burns
- Signs of improper restraint on wrists or ankles
- Dislocations and sprains
Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse can be detrimental to the psyche of a cognitively impaired and vulnerable memory care facility resident. Abusive actions can include ignoring the resident, humiliating them, calling them names, or speaking in a harsh tone. While emotional abuse can be tough to detect, a senior could potentially show the following changes:
- Withdrawal from social activities
- Being fearful of certain caregivers or other residents
- Developing new depression and anxiety
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse can include a range of unwanted sexual acts, including rape, touching, nudity, and taking photographs. Unfortunately, cognitively impaired residents can be at high risk as perpetrators feel safe targeting victims who won’t remember the abuse. Signs that your relative could suffer from sexual abuse can include:
- Torn or blood-stained underwear
- Bleeding of the genitals
- A new difficulty with walking or sitting down
- Urinary tract infections
- Sexually transmitted diseases
Neglect
General neglect is a type of abuse. Residents of a memory care facility depend on others to help them with their daily needs, such as meal preparation, personal hygiene, and others. If employees do not provide the assistance required and a resident suffers harm, the facility could be liable for damages. Signs of general neglect can include:
- Malnutrition and dehydration
- Unexplained rapid weight or hair loss
- Lack of personal hygiene
- Frequent infections
- Stained clothes and dirty bed linen
- Missing important medication
Seeing your loved one suffer from the physical and mental injuries of egregious abuse can be painful and upsetting. However, the law is generally on your loved one’s side, provided we can prove the facility’s negligence. Your lawyer from our team can fight for your relative’s rights and hold an abusive memory care facility to account.
Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Can Fight for You
We can work tirelessly to defend your loved one’s best interests and fight for a fair settlement on their behalf. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm now to get started at (800) 842-6336.
Call or text (800) 842-6336 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form