When your elderly parent reaches the point where they can no longer care for themselves independently, you might move them to a nursing home where they can receive the care they need from trusted medical professionals. But what happens when the nursing home that you entrusted with your loved one’s care violates your trust by harming your loved one either through neglect or through intentional abuse?
Learning that an institution that was supposed to care for your loved one has instead harmed them can create confusion and anger. Fortunately, a knowledgeable Birmingham nursing home abuse lawyer from Massey Injury Law can help. Our compassionate attorneys will treat you as a Friend of the Firm by offering you a 25 percent fee, which means, if your suit is successful, you will get to keep a higher percentage.
Nursing homes have a duty to meet the reasonable needs of each of their residents by providing them with sufficient medical care, nutrition, hygiene, and supervision. Unfortunately, carelessness and negligence can lead to serious harm in nursing homes.
Medical neglect can take many forms, including the following:
By not providing adequate medical care, seemingly minor illnesses can escalate quickly into severe infections.
Nursing homes should meet residents’ basic care needs and provide sufficient assistance with eating, dressing, bathing, and using the bathroom.
Care facilities should provide residents with sanitary living conditions. They should regularly change sheets, clean rooms, and ensure that the residents are living in unsoiled clothes. Staff members should also regularly change a resident’s position to prevent them from developing pressure ulcers or bedsores.
Nursing homes should supervise residents who could wander off the premises. They should also watch residents to ensure they don’t fall or suffer harm from other residents.
Our diligent Birmingham attorneys can investigate to see what led to the nursing home negligence that harmed your loved one.
Sadly, some nursing home residents are the victims of intentional, violent acts by staff members, other residents, or even visitors to the facility. Some of the types of abuse suffered by residents are as follows:
Many nursing home residents are easy targets of abuse because they are often unable to report what happened because they are not lucid or well enough to explain it. Residents are also frequently unwilling to report their abuse for fear of retaliatory action. Consequently, the burden of determining what happened often falls on the family, who should be on the alert for unexplained bruises, cuts, sudden weight loss, or changes in personality or behavior. Consulting with a seasoned Birmingham attorney at the first sign of nursing home abuse is essential.
Many nursing homes are chronically understaffed, which forces workers to care for too many patients at the same time. Understaffing can lead to careless errors as well as poor hiring practices such as insufficient background checks, which could lead to someone with a criminal background gaining employment. In addition, the employees that care facilities do have are also frequently undertrained.
If your loved one suffered harm while in a care facility, contact a Birmingham nursing home abuse lawyer at Massey Injury Law. Our experienced legal team can help hold careless staff or facilities accountable. For a friend of the firm experience and rate…remember: Massey is my lawyer friend.
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