Nursing home negligence is often hard to detect, and due to declining memories, victims of elder abuse can have a hard time reaching out for help. If you’ve noticed abnormalities with the way your loved one acts when a certain staff member or nurse is nearby, you might want to investigate further for other signs of mistreatment.
If you believe your family member is being verbally, physically, or financially abused, the team at 1LAW can help you take legal action. One of our nursing home abuse attorneys in Orem, UT, will oversee an investigation of your case to find the evidence they need to hold the guilty party liable for their wrongdoing.
Our lawyers are committed to getting nursing home abuse victims the compensation they need to recover from their injuries and other losses. Depending on the type of abuse your loved one has experienced, they may receive compensation for a number of different losses, including:
In cases of severe abuse or gross negligence, your attorney will consider adding punitive damages to your nursing home abuse claim. Such damages are used to punish abusers for their inhumane treatment of the elderly and deter other staff members from committing similar acts.
To get your loved one the damages they’re owed, we’ll have to identify their abuser. Sometimes, the liable party in a nursing abuse case isn’t always a staff member or, for that matter, an individual person. That’s why it’s essential that you hire an attorney who can find evidence that shows who is liable for your family member’s injuries and losses.
If you choose to work with our firm, one of our Orem nursing home abuse lawyers will determine which of the following parties is responsible for your loved one’s mistreatment:
Staff members and contractors may be held liable for physical abuse, verbal abuse, or neglect. If your family member is suffering from a lack of basic necessities, your lawyer will file a claim against the nursing home itself. The nursing home may also be held accountable for failure to train employees, maintain assistive devices, and provide adequate medical care.
Abuse can occur in a variety of different forms, some more noticeable than others. If you find that your loved one has experienced one of the following types of mistreatment, a nursing home abuse attorney from our firm can help you file a claim:
Name-calling, shaming, and hateful comments are just a few examples of emotional abuse that may occur in a nursing home. Such abuse can result in mental health problems and reduced quality of life. If you notice that your family member is nervous when a particular staff member or nurse is in the room, they may be experiencing emotional abuse.
Committing sexual and physical violence against any individual is unacceptable, let alone a person of advanced age. If you notice unexplained cuts and bruises on your family member, or find that they’ve tested positive for an STI, they may be experiencing sexual abuse.
Our attorneys can conduct an investigation into your loved one’s mistreatment. They’ll use the evidence they find in conjunction with medical records to file a nursing home abuse claim in Orem. The compensation you receive from the claim can be used to pay for your loved one’s medical treatment and make up for the mental distress they’ve experienced.
Nursing home staff members who ask your loved one for unnecessary payments or take their money without permission are committing financial abuse. Financial exploitation can also occur if your family member asks a caregiver to purchase something for them and the caregiver uses the money for something different.
If you notice strange charges on your loved one’s bank statement or notice another sign of financial abuse, our attorneys can help you file a nursing home abuse claim. They’ll make sure your family member gets every penny back that has been taken from them.
Most nursing home residents need daily assistance to stay healthy and safe. If your loved one’s nursing home staff members aren’t helping them get out of bed and move around, they could suffer from bed sores and other health issues.
Failure to provide food, water, medication, and sanitary products are also unacceptable forms of neglect. If you notice that your family member is extremely hungry, thirsty, or unclean, they may be experiencing neglect. If that’s the case, our team can help them recover from the health effects they’ve suffered.
If you suspect that your family member is a victim of nursing home abuse, you’ll want to alert the facility they reside at and file a report with the appropriate government agency. If they’ve sustained injury from their mistreatment, you should also bring them to a physician or hospital.
Once you’ve filed reports and made sure your loved one has gotten the medical care they require, it’s important that you contact an attorney. A skilled nursing home abuse lawyer will make sure the correct party is held responsible for your family members’ mistreatment.
Contacting an attorney as soon as you can is important, as there’s a statute of limitations for nursing home abuse claims in Utah. Utah Code Ann. §78B-2-307 states that your claim must be filed in four years or your loved one could go uncompensated. An Orem nursing home abuse lawyer can make sure your claim is filed before the legal deadline.
If you know someone who lives in an elder care facility, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the signs of elder abuse. Doing so will help you spot mistreatment early on so that you can get your loved one the assistance and care they deserve. If you believe your loved one is being neglected or abused, don’t hesitate to contact the team at 1LAW.
Our Orem nursing home abuse attorneys will investigate the suspected mistreatment, establish liability, and hold the guilty party liable with an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Once your case has come to a conclusion, your loved one will have the compensation they need to cover their medical bills and any other losses they’ve been burdened with.