Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
In this day and age, medical care and treatment is not always given or received at hospitals. Frequently, when families can no longer manage the care of their loved ones, they must choose to send them to a nursing home or skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation or long-term care.
As tough as this decision is, the family and community expect these nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities to provide the appropriate level of care that their loved ones need and deserve.
Nursing home abuse and neglect is a real problem. Far too often, nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities do not provide the appropriate care, resulting in abuse and neglect. Some signs of nursing home abuse and neglect are:
- Falls (documented or not)
- Unexplained bruising, cuts, burns or fractures
- Unexplained weight loss or gain (malnutrition)
- Skin deterioration (such as bedsores)
- Failure to change sheets or clothes as needed
- Allowing residents to lie in their own waste
- Frozen joints
- Staff not allowing resident to be alone with visitors or refusing to allow visitors
- Loss of possessions
- Abrupt changes in will or other financial documents
In many cases, the root cause of nursing home and skilled nursing abuse and/or neglect can be traced back to the facility owner. Most nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities are owned or run by large multibillion-dollar corporations. These companies often refuse to provide their facilities with enough resources to properly staff the facilities to prevent bedsores, malnutrition, dehydration and other occurrences, which can result in the death or serious injury of the resident.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse in the United States, between 1 and 2 million Americans aged 65 or older have been injured, exploited or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depend for care or protection.
When serious injury or unexplained death occurs, the family and the community have an absolute right to hold the nursing home or skilled nursing facility accountable. Our attorneys represent victims of nursing home abuse, and their families. We go after the people and corporations that made profits more important than the safety, health and well-being of nursing home residents.
Sometimes nursing home companies sneak unfair binding arbitration clauses into their contracts. By doing so, they are attempting to further restrict the rights of you and your loved ones. In addition to seeking fair compensation through the courts, the experienced attorneys at Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler can also assist you with nursing home arbitration problems and disputes.
The Law Firm of Hill, Peterson, Carper, Bee & Deitzler has been protecting the rights of residents of nursing home and skilled nursing facilities and their families throughout the state of West Virginia for over 40 years. If you suspect nursing home abuse or neglect, please call one of our experienced attorneys to discuss your rights and the rights of your loved ones.