Nursing home abuse can have devastating effects on the seniors involved in the abuse. From fear to physical health concerns, recovering from nursing home abuse can take time, resources, and compassion. In the worst case scenarios, your loved one could die as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect from caregivers. Any victim of nursing home abuse should be entitled to compensation to cover their expenses as a result of what happened to them.
Unfortunately, nursing home abuse occurs all over the United States, from dangerous caregivers to simply frustrated caregivers that lose their tempers. No matter what is behind the abuse, there is no excuse for nursing home abuse or neglect. When it happens, your loved one could recover compensation because of their injuries from abuse.
You can work with a nursing home abuse lawyer to help you file your lawsuit. To schedule a free consultation with the team of a Fort Lauderdale nursing home abuse lawyer, contact Ben Crump Law, PLLC at 800-959-1444. There is no cost for the initial consultation or for our help unless we win your case.
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
While nursing home abuse can be difficult to attack, there are some common signs that you can look out for that include:
- Sudden social withdrawal or isolation
- Poor hygiene
- Lack of concentration
- Loss of money
- Recurrent illnesses or infections
- Bruises
- Unexplained injuries
These are just some of the signs of nursing home abuse that you may see in a loved one after they have been abused by nursing home staff. It is possible that your loved one will display none of these or several. A small minority of nursing home residents may not even realize that they are being neglected, perhaps due to cognitive decline or dementia. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), 95% of nursing home residents interviewed said that they had seen another resident neglected or had been neglected themselves.
For a free legal consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer serving Fort Lauderdale, call 800-712-9119
Things to Consider
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), seniors are at risk in nursing homes because many suffer from chronic diseases that inhibit their physical and cognitive functioning. While this does not mean that you should expect nursing home abuse to occur in every assisted living and skilled nursing facility, it does mean that your loved one is not. Nursing home abuse is one of the crimes that is likely underreported. By coming forward and taking legal action, you and your loved one are working to hold the nursing home accountable for what happened. This can be important for your loved one’s recovery and for the community at large. After all, it is unlikely that your loved one is the only one being abused.
Fort Lauderdale Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me 800-712-9119
Possibly Recoverable Compensation
There are different types of recoverable compensation that are possible in nursing home abuse cases, including:
- Medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death
- Punitive damages
These are some of the forms of recoverable compensation that are available. Depending on the details of your specific case, other types of compensation could be possible. The only way to know what kind of compensation is possible in your case is to discuss the specific details of what happened with a lawyer who can review past cases similar to yours to see what kinds of compensation they received. While not a guarantee, this can give you an idea of what you can possibly expect.
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Statute of Limitations
You have two years from the incident or two years from the date of discovery to file a nursing home abuse lawsuit against the responsible parties. However, the maximum time lapsed that you can file is four years. This means that the longest time that can have before the statute of limitations is up is four years in total.
Two years may seem like a long period of time. However, it often goes faster than most people realize. With all of the tasks that you will have after discovering the nursing home abuse, it may seem that there is more time later to worry about the legal actions that you may want to take against the nursing home and its staff that injured your loved one.
In general, the sooner you start the legal process, the better. Not only will this enable you to have access to the funds that you need to provide adequate medical care and support your loved one after the abuse, but it will give your lawyer more time to file motions and gather evidence during the discovery phase of the case. Over time, witness testimony becomes less reliable and other evidence could be lost. By starting the legal process as soon as possible, you limit the adverse effects of time on your case.
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Different Parties Responsible
When it comes to taking legal action for nursing home abuse, you may be surprised to know that there are different parties that could be responsible and held liable for what happened to your loved one. There is the individual contractor or employee that committed the negligence or abuse. However, there is also the institution and any third-party companies that the nursing home works with to consider.
For example, if an employee of a third-party company that provides janitorial services to a nursing home abuse is a resident, that employee and the janitorial company could be held responsible with the nursing home itself. There should be processes in place that carefully screen and monitor employees to ensure that residents receive the best care possible. When the systems fail, all parties that contributed to this failure could be held responsible.
Call Us to Discuss the Details of Your Potential Case
If your loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse, it is possible that they could receive compensation for what happened to them. Schedule a free consultation with the office of a Fort Lauderdale nursing home abuse lawyer to have your questions answered. Call Ben Crump Law, PLLC at 800-959-1444 today. There is no cost for the consultation or for support until we win your case.
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