Reach out to us today for help with seeking justice in your loved one’s memory care facility abuse matter.
Finding out that your loved one suffered from egregious mistreatment in their memory care facility can be shocking and upsetting. After all, your relative should receive special care and attention tailored to their unique needs and help them achieve the best possible physical and emotional well-being. Instead, their condition may have deteriorated due to abuse or neglect, leaving you to pick up the pieces.
If your loved one suffered the physical and emotional consequences of egregious elder abuse, contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm as soon as possible. A Houston memory care facility abuse lawyer from our firm can potentially help you get the justice and compensation that your loved one deserves.
Possible Compensation for Your Loved One’s Pain and Suffering
Abuse of any kind should never be tolerated in a memory care facility. If your spouse or family member suffered abuse in a memory care facility in Houston, you could be entitled to compensation on your loved one’s behalf. The recoverable damages you could potentially receive from a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit include economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are easier to place a monetary value on and include:
- Doctor’s visits (as a result of the abuse)
- Hospitalization
- Ambulance transportation
- Prescription medications
- Physical therapy
- Counseling for mental and physical trauma
- Funeral and burial costs (if your loved one passed away as a result of the abuse)
Non-economic damages are less tangible and are meant to compensate you and your loved one for quality-of-life losses, including:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement and/or scarring from the abuse
Types of Abuse in Memory Care Facilities
According to the journal Innovation in Aging, the elderly with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia are generally at a higher risk of suffering from abuse and neglect. Forms of abuse in memory care facilities can include:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Emotional abuse
- General neglect
- Financial abuse
All types of elder abuse are immoral, illegal, and despicable. However, relatives of seniors suffering from any type of abuse in their memory care facility generally have the right to legal recourse if their loved one suffered injuries and financial losses due to any mistreatment.
Signs of Memory Care Facility Abuse
Unfortunately, it can be challenging to determine whether your loved one suffers from abuse or neglect if they have dementia or other cognitive issues. However, even in circumstances where your loved one is unable to recall or talk to you about what happened to them, you could detect certain physical or mental signs of potential abuse. Some of the signs and symptoms that should raise some red flags can be:
- Unexplained and rapid weight or hair loss
- Frequent falls
- Frequent injuries such as fractures or sprains
- Unexplained bruises
- Changes in character such as anxiety and depression
- Social withdrawal
- Frequent mood changes
- Fear of caregivers
- Sexually transmitted diseases and other infections
- Bruises or injuries in the genital area
- Stained clothing or bed linen
- The presence or worsening of bedsores
- Lack of personal hygiene
- Lack of overall facility hygiene
If you detect these signs with your loved one, they may not necessarily suffer from abuse, but you should demand answers from the memory care facility’s management. If you do not get any satisfactory explanations, you can consult with a Houston memory care facility abuse lawyer from our firm to determine your legal options.
Regulations of Memory Care Facilities in Texas
Memory care facilities in Texas have to adhere to some specific regulations. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), current regulations require that employees working in a facility that advertises as having an Alzheimer’s and dementia unit have to receive four hours of dementia-specific training before working at the facility.
Other general requirements for memory care facilities include having a certain staff-to-resident ratio and using appropriate methods for the behavioral management of residents with dementia. Facilities with Alzheimer’s or dementia residents require a special “Type B” license in Texas as they have to fulfill additional requirements.
If the facility housing your loved one broke any state laws or regulations, leading to abuse or neglect of your relative, you could have legal recourse. The Houston memory care facility abuse lawyers at our firm know the applicable regulations and can help determine whether you have legal recourse.
What You Can Do if Your Loved One Experienced Elder Abuse
Your first priority should be making sure that your loved one is safe and protected from any further neglect or abuse at their memory care facility. This could mean moving them if they are in immediate danger. You can also call law enforcement or dial (800) 842-6336, according to Texas Health and Human Services (HHS), to report the abuse of your loved one.
Contact a Houston Memory Care Facility Abuse Lawyer for Help
Since you could potentially have a case against a memory care facility in Houston, you may want to contact an attorney from our firm who can help protect your loved one’s rights and inform you of your legal options. You could potentially recover compensation for your loved one’s medical expenses and suffering from a lawsuit. A lawyer from our firm can help you with pursuing damages and holding a negligent memory care facility to account.
However, in order to have a claim, you will need to prove that the facility acted negligently.
Evidence that could help you prove your claim can include:
- Photographs of the injuries suffered due to abuse or neglect
- Medical reports of your loved one’s injuries
- Reports detailing any medical treatments and costs
- Statements from witnesses
Your attorney can assist with obtaining the necessary evidence for proving your claim against a memory care facility.
Call Us Now for Help
No senior should have to go through pain and anguish in their twilight years. Memory care facility abuse is egregious and shocking. The dedicated and compassionate team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm wants to help victims recover compensation for their ordeal.
Contact us now at (800) 842-6336 for a free case review and to discuss whether you have legal recourse for your loved one’s injuries.
Call or text (800) 842-6336 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form