With today’s busy schedules and dual-income families, more and more people are unable to take care of their aging parents at home. We often rely on nursing homes and assisted living facilities to provide a safe environment and the best care for disabled and elderly relatives.
Unfortunately, many nursing homes do not pay enough money to attract trained workers. As a result, many facilities are understaffed and residents suffer injuries due to nursing home abuse, failure to follow best practices or neglect.
Elderly nursing home patients may be unable to communicate well enough to report instances of nursing home abuse. Family members and concerned loved ones may discover signs of abuse, including bruising, sores and other physical signs. A patient may also experience emotional abuse including threats, manipulation and verbal degradation.
Witnessing signs of abuse is heartbreaking for family members. At the law offices of Westmoreland, Patterson, Moseley & Hinson, L.L.P., we provide legal support to nursing home residents and their family members. Contact nursing home abuse attorneys today to find out about your legal options.
How Was Your Loved One Harmed?
Not all nursing home injuries are due to negligence or abuse. However, some common types of injuries and nursing home negligence are:
- Bed sores (decubitus ulcers) caused by failing to properly reposition or check patients who are bedridden or in a wheelchair
- Other infections caused by inadequate infection control measures
- Broken bones, hip fractures and falls due to failure to assess a patient’s risk of falling or to take adequate fall prevention measures
- Medication errors, including giving the wrong medication, dosage mistakes and failing to properly administer drugs
- Intentional abuse, including sexual abuse, physical abuse and humiliation
- Death caused by malnutrition or dehydration
Protect Your Loved One
The most important thing to do if you have discovered signs of nursing home abuse is to protect the victim. Talk to the nursing home administrator, a social worker or doctor about what you have witnessed. You should also take photos of any signs of abuse.
We can help you do the following:
- Identify immediate ways in which to protect your loved one
- Investigate the nursing home to determine if there have been prior reported instances of abuse or nursing home neglect
- Explain the legal rights of a nursing home resident
- Explain your legal options
- Hold the facility accountable and recover damages for the injury or wrongful death
Besides helping your family, we believe our work plays a part in making nursing homes safer for all residents. While nothing can be done to take away the pain and emotional suffering your loved one surely experienced, taking legal action can help future instances of nursing home abuse from happening. We are committed to holding nursing homes, retirement homes and employees responsible for their actions and negligence.
Why This Matters So Much
If your loved one has been injured and you think it may be due to nursing home abuse or negligence, our lawyers will hire the best experts to investigate. If the nursing home was negligent or abusive in caring for your parent or relative, we will work hard to hold the facility accountable and recover damages for the injury or wrongful death.
By holding negligent facilities accountable, we are best able to help prevent similar injuries from happening to other residents.
Taking Action
If someone you love has been hurt by nursing home abuse or neglect, contact us for a free consultation. Call 888-469-4173 or complete the online form. From offices in Macon, Albany and Warner Robins, we help injured people throughout Georgia and across the Southeast. You will owe us no fees unless we recover compensation for you.