Washington Township Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
People send their loved ones to nursing homes in the hopes that they will receive the highest-quality care and treatment. Some nursing home employees neglect or abuse their patients and do not provide them with the care they deserve.
If you suspect that your loved one is suffering abuse at the hands of a nursing home and its employees, you may want to contact a Washington Township nursing home abuse lawyer. Our experienced personal injury attorneys could investigate the situation and, if necessary, bring legal action against the responsible parties. En Español.
What Constitutes Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect?
Nursing home abuse could occur at the hands of various employees. This could include nurses, nursing assistants, physicians, physical therapists, dietitians, and even administrators. If any of these employees abuses or neglects a nursing home resident, an attorney in Washington Township could explain all the legal options available to you.
Neglect and abuse in nursing homes can take a variety of forms. In some instances, it may mean that nursing home staff members fail to adequately supervise a patient, or a staff member fails to lift or turn a patient properly. This could result in a serious injury.
Nursing home staff may also or alternatively fail to properly feed or medicate a patient or otherwise respond to the patient’s needs in a timely manner, or ignore a patient’s symptoms and fail to notify the on-call doctor in a timely manner. A nursing home staff member could outright physically or verbally abuse a nursing home patient.
Signs and Symptoms of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect
Nursing home abuse could go undetected. This is notably true when it harms patients who may not know or understand what is happening to them, specifically those suffering from Alzheimer’s. In certain cases, the abuse or neglect may never get reported.
There are certain signs of nursing home abuse and neglect that are visible on some patients. As a knowledgeable attorney could explain, those signs and symptoms may include:
- Bruises or bed sores on the patient’s body
- Unpleasant smells, which may reflect a lack of bathing
- Unkempt room appearance
- Scratch marks or other visible signs of injury on the patient’s body
Any such evidence may play a critical role in an eventual civil case and in preventing further abuse or neglect in the short term. A Washington Township attorney could provide measured and experienced advice about what signs of abuse may be presenting in your loved one’s nursing home abuse case.
Proving an Employee Committed Abuse
Healthcare providers in nursing homes, whether they are doctors, nurses, or nursing assistants, have a duty to act in a reasonably prudent manner at all times while they are providing care. If a provider violates this standard of care by neglecting or abusing a patient, that patient may be able to bring a legal claim.
In the same vein, nursing homes could be held legally liable for negligent acts their employees undertake while on the job. An injured nursing home patient may be able to take legal action against a nursing home for failing to have the proper protocols in place for such abuse. This may include negligent hiring, negligent supervising, or failing to fix a systemic or well-known problem in the nursing home. A seasoned Washington Township nursing home abuse lawyer could help you prove negligence in order to recover the damages you deserve.
How a Washington Township Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Could Help
If you suspect that your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect while in a nursing home, you may be able to bring a legal claim on their behalf. Through this, you and your impacted family member may be able to recover compensation for medical bills and expenses stemming from the abuse or neglect he or she suffered. This could include pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Having the help of personal injury attorney can significantly help your chances of obtaining compensation. A Washington Township nursing home abuse lawyer could review all the circumstances with you and help you decide on the best course of action.
