Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers
Miller Trial Law is a nursing home neglect lawyer that works with families who believe their loved one may have suffered from nursing home neglect. What is nursing home neglect? There are many examples of nursing home neglect, but it ultimately results in the same outcome: injuries, illness, or death of the elderly or sick nursing home resident. If the neglect takes the form of psychological abuse or neglect, the injuries can be psychological. There are many different examples of nursing home neglect. What are they? According to the National Institutes of Health, there are a range of examples provided for what constitutes nursing home neglect. These examples include:
- Not providing residents with proper oral or dental care
- Not providing residents with the motion exercises or physical therapy they require to stay healthy
- Not administering to the residents’ needs when it comes to incontinence
- Failing to provide proper activities to bedridden residents
- Not providing proper wound care to residents
- Not bathing residents on a regular basis
- Not helping residents perform daily functions, especially for residents who request this help or need it
- Failing to properly hydrate residents
- Failing to feed residents
- Failing to provide residents with proper medical care
- Failing to provide residents with needed medication
These are just some examples of common nursing home neglect. Families may not always be able to see the signs that their loved one is being neglected. For example, some nursing homes may limit families to visitor’s hours or may take care of residents only when they know family is visiting. How can you tell your loved one might be suffering from nursing home neglect?
Here are some signs of nursing home neglect:
- Bad Hygiene
- Bed Sores
- Changes in Behavior or Mood
- Deterioration in Your Loved One’s Condition (Not Linked to Illness Progression)
- Falls, Bruises, or Other Unexplained Injuries
- Overdoses
- Worsening Health Condition Not Linked to Disease Progression
These are just some signs of nursing home neglect. If you think your loved one might be a victim of nursing home neglect, it is important to take immediate action. Get your loved one into a safe and healthy situation as soon as you can. And, if your loved one has suffered serious injuries, consider reaching out to Miller Trial Law, a nursing home negligence law firm today. Our attorneys can help your family seek justice on your loved one’s behalf, and fight for your rights.
Nursing Home Neglect Due to COVID-19
In the wake of COVID-19 many families have been wondering whether their loved one’s death or serious illness was preventable. Unfortunately, as COVID-19 impacts nursing homes across the nation, many nursing homes are left without the resources, equipment, staff, or know-how, to properly tackle the crisis. The result has been overwhelmed nursing home staff, failures in systems of care, and nursing home neglect that has sometimes resulted in the deaths or severe illness and disability of residents. If you lost a loved one due to COVID-19 while in a nursing home, you may be looking for answers.
Nursing homes should be following specific guidelines set forth by the CDC regarding preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the nursing home. Some of these guidelines include:
- Assigning one staff member specifically trained to handle infection control in the facility.
- Requiring nurses and other care staff to properly wash hands and wear protective equipment.
- Putting in place policies to restrict visitation and offering other options for families to visit loved ones.
- Requiring caretakers who may have come in contact with COVID-19 to quarantine and not come to work.
- Have a plan for testing residents and workers.
- Have a plan for how to provide proper care to residents (and isolation) should they become sick or should an outbreak occur. Nursing homes should identify which spaces would be used for quarantining sick residents should an outbreak or illness be identified in the facility.
- Have proper supplies and contingency plans in place.
- Have a plan for monitoring residents who develop COVID-19 symptoms.
These are just some of the things that nursing homes should put in place to properly prevent the spread of COVID-19. Nursing homes should also have a plan in place for how to monitor new residents and how to handle patients who are returning from the hospital or those who need to go to the hospital.
Unfortunately, in the early weeks of the outbreak, and even to this day, many nursing homes continue to be ill-prepared to handle COVID-19. They may not have enough space to quarantine and isolate residents. They may not have enough staff on hand should staff become sick. They may not have PPE equipment. If a nursing home fails to take steps to protect its residents from COVID-19, and residents become sick or even die, families may have the right to fight back. Miller Trial Law is a nursing home neglect law firm in Miami, Florida that may be able to help you.
Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse can take on many forms, from physical violence and assault to verbal abuse of residents. If you think your loved one may have suffered from nursing home abuse or violence, you may have the right to seek damages from the nursing home. What are some types of nursing home abuse. According to the National Institutes of Health, abuse can include:
- Being aggressive with a resident
- Rough handling of residents
- Yelling in anger at residents
- Threatening residents
- Slapping, hitting, or kicking residents
- Saying harsh or mean things to a nursing home resident
These are just some examples of nursing home abuse. If you think your loved one might have been a victim of nursing home abuse, Miller Trial Law is a nursing home abuse law firm that may be able to help you. Reach out to our nursing home abuse lawyer today.
