As hard as it can be to make the choice in the first place, placing an elderly loved one in a nursing home where they can receive the around-the-clock care and assistance they need is sometimes what’s best for them and everyone who loves them. It’s also important to research these facilities thoroughly and check in with residents regularly. Accidental neglect and even intentional abuse are far from uncommon in places like this.
If you suspect your family member’s rights are being violated by a nursing home or assisted living facility, it may fall to you to hire a personal injury attorney and take legal action in your loved one’s name. Fortunately, you have support available from a seasoned Mt Laurel nursing home abuse lawyer with years of experience helping people like you through this situation.
What Does Nursing Home Mistreatment Look Like?
Part of what makes abuse and neglect inside nursing homes such a serious matter is the fact that it can often be hard for even dedicated and loving family members to notice. Many residents of facilities like this are unable to communicate what’s happening to them because of mental or cognitive decline, and even those who can communicate clearly may not be willing to for fear that their mistreatment will get even worse.
It can be important to know some of the more common warning signs and symptoms of nursing home abuse and neglect, such as:
- Sudden changes in weight
- Sudden shifts in personality or mood, especially if they happen around a specific staff member or fellow resident
- Consistent small injuries like cuts and bruises, especially around the wrists
- Dirty clothes, bedsheets, and living areas
- Staff members refusing to answer direct questions or refusing to let you be alone with a resident
- Bedsores at any stage of development
- Unexpected changes in a resident’s personal finances or estate plans
If you have any concerns about your loved one’s care, a Mt Laurel nursing home abuse lawyer can help investigate the matter further and answer questions about what next steps you should take.
Taking Action on a Loved One’s Behalf
While no form of nursing home mistreatment should be allowed to continue once it’s discovered, it doesn’t always need to be solved through a civil lawsuit either. In situations involving minor abuse or neglect without any serious injuries, it may be enough to discuss the problem with facility administrators, file a report with state-level authorities, or simply move your family member to a different facility.
If your loved one suffers an injury or illness serious enough to require professional medical care, you can file a civil suit on their behalf—or help them sue on their own behalf if they’re cognitively able to do so—and demand compensation for every form of harm the mistreatment has led them to experience. Depending on the circumstances, a nursing home abuse lawyer in Mt Laurel could help demand money for things like medical bills, personal property damage, physical and psychological suffering, and more.
Get Help from a Mt Laurel Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Today
Everyone deserves compassion in their later years, including and especially people who are paying to get 24/7 care in a nursing home or assisted living facility. Unfortunately, facilities like this often have underpaid, overworked, and sometimes unqualified staff members, which can sometimes lead to residents suffering inexcusable mistreatment.
A Mt Laurel nursing home abuse lawyer can help you take proactive legal action against anyone and everyone who allowed your family member to come to harm under circumstances like this. Call Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today to get started.
