Need An Attorney Experienced in Nursing Home Abuse?
As Americans start to age, some of them have health issues that keep them from being able to care for themselves or do the normal activities of an independent adult. These real life issues, coupled with the fact that more American citizens are joining the ranks of senior citizens are the reason that the population of nursing home residents has exploded.
These days, moms and dads both must work outside of the home to make ends meet. So there is nobody available to stay home and take care of aging or ailing family members. Nearly everyone has a family member who has lived in a nursing home or is a resident of a nursing home right now. And as much as we would like to think that the nursing home staff members treat our loved ones with kindness and patience, the reality is that nursing home abuse is a major problem in America so much so that there have been congressional hearings on the subject.
If you have reason to believe that your family member or friend is the victim of nursing home abuse, contact a nursing home abuse attorney. Call for a free consultation. Traditionally elderly family members received care from their adult children and other members of the family. As married couples spent more time away from home working, nursing homes and day care centers for adults and children who were unable to stay alone became a necessary part of society. As the cost of living goes up, some senior Americans don’t have enough money to cover their cost of living expenses plus their cost of medicine that so many of them in this age range must take. So many senior citizens have had to give up their large homes and independent living to move into nursing care centers where they can receive medical care and the personal attention they deserve.
Advancements in medicine and in the healthcare industry have made it so that senior citizens are living longer and that’s why owning nursing home centers has become one of the most lucrative residential properties in the real estate business today. As profitable as this kind of business can be, some people only view the residents as dollar signs and potential paychecks rather than human beings who need extra care and patience.
For the elderly people who find themselves added to these numbers annually as they become nursing home residents, it doesn’t take them long before they realize their new environment is not as they envisioned. ‘Home’ should be a nurturing and peaceful environment. But statistics show that some nursing home residents endure mental or physical abuse because they are at the mercy of cruel healthcare workers. If you have reason to believe that your family member or friend is the victim of nursing home abuse, contact a nursing home abuse attorney at our Law Office for a free consultation.
When nursing homes became popular some forty years ago they were not state-regulated and prospective employees were not screened. But as more senior Americans started to move into the nursing homes and abuse became a problem, more guidelines were put in place to address the issue. When applying for employment at nursing homes prospective employees were not required to have any formal training. Now, some forty years later prospective employees must go through a broad criminal and employment background check before they are allowed to start working. In the beginning, a drug test was just a visual inspection of how a person looked. Now drug tests are completed by medical personnel and the list of drugs tested for is extensive. Nursing home employers now put so much emphasis on drug tests because some believe that employees misbehave or mistreat their clientele because the employees are using drugs that alter their judgment. Also resumes help hiring managers to make better decisions on who will be a part of their staff so their elderly residents are more likely to receive adequate care.
As senior citizens continue to age they become less independent, more vulnerable, and less confident in their decision making. Their diminished capacity coupled with the overbearing behavior of the staff has subjected them to the demoralizing actions of nursing home workers on a regular basis. Some of the mistreatment includes slapping, pinching, being heavy-handed while grooming the patient’s hair, taking pictures of the patients in compromising positions and ignoring patients’ requests for help using the bathroom. Some residents have even reported that they were raped by nursing home caregivers.
The fact that elderly family members must live away from the family is the source of contention for many, especially since nobody can be sure how their loved one is being treated when they are not present. But here are some suggestions that will decrease the chance that your elderly family members will be victimized:
Relatives should make unannounced daily and weekly visits at various times.
If you can not make personal visits, be sure to make impromptu telephone calls.
Reassure the senior family member of your whereabouts and contact information in case they need help in an emergency.
Introduce yourself to nursing home staffers so they know you and other family members are concerned about the safety and happiness of your loved one.
If staff members know you and other family members are monitoring what happens to your loved one, they are more likely to treat that person with care and respect and less likely to act negligent or abusive. The nursing care industry also has worked to teach healthcare staffers proper techniques and more appropriate ways to care for infirmed senior citizens. And that has added to the growing number of reliable nursing home employees working in the United States who are great at performing their jobs. Some of them even have earned degrees as Certified Nursing Assistants. Sadly though, some staffers have a history of domestic violence, drug addiction and some are unregistered pedophiles. It is clear that these questionable staffers who have managed to remain employed in this industry and have gone from job to job have preyed on the elderly for way too long. Senior Americans are in need of the same care that goes into protecting a child who is cannot defend him or herself.
If you have a loved one that is being abused or whom you suspect is being abused and who lives in a long-term nursing facility, call our Law Office as soon as possible. The longer you wait the more pain and suffering your loved one could be going through. Our associates along with our team of experienced investigators will do what it takes to uncover the suspected abuse. With more than twenty (20) years of courtroom success, our Law Office will help you protect your loved one against the ever-growing epidemic of nursing home abuse. The telephone call is free and the initial legal consultation is priceless.
Nursing Home Abuse at Its Worse
The same as a child might not alert parents if she or he is being abused, some nursing home residents sometimes are too frightened to tell other staff members or family members for fear that the abuse will become more severe. That’s why nursing home management should do it’s part of let residents know that they are there to protect the rights of the residents and that any suspected abuse should be reported to them immediately without fear of retaliation. If a nursing home staffer is found to be negligent or abusive, the offending nursing home employee or employees could face criminal and civil charges.
The Legal Complexity Involved in Nursing Home Abuse Cases
Even if your loved one has told you that she or he is being abused by a staff member, most cases come down to what can be proven in a court of law. Pictures of physical wounds and other evidence is a good thing, but if the alleged victim is unable to testify to their experience or can not answer questions posed to them about the abuse, there is a slim chance that a personal injury lawsuit or even criminal charges will be filed.
Nursing home abuse personal injury charges are categorized as medical malpractice cases. In Texas, medical malpractice lawsuits payouts have been capped by Tort Reform laws. Tort reform was created to decrease the number of undeserving lawsuits that were clogging up the Texas court system. As a result of Tort Reform, it now takes an experienced and successful courtroom litigant who knows the ins and outs of proving personal injury in medical malpractice lawsuits. Our attorneys are such litigants. Our associates are good at what they do best which is to use the law and their investigative skills to uncover the truth.
Some lawyers prefer not to litigate nursing home abuse cases because of Texas Tort Reform and because of the challenges involving these kinds of cases. The nursing home abuse attorneys at our Law Office know what to expect and will go to work for you. Contact our Law Office for a free initial legal consultation.
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