If you reside in a nursing home, you chose that facility to be your new home and entrusted the staff with your care. In a similar vein, if you are the family member of an individual living in a senior care center, you trust the facility to treat your loved one with compassion and respect.
If nursing home staff failed to keep you or your loved one healthy and safe, a personal injury attorney may be able to help you. An Opelousas nursing home abuse lawyer could investigate the abuse and demonstrate its impact before a jury. The abuse or neglect you or your family member experienced was unacceptable, but recovering damages could help restore your peace of mind and secure your financial wellbeing.
Required Reporting of Nursing Home Abuse
An alarming number of nursing home abuse incidents are witnessed by colleagues. Even if employees do not see abuse occur firsthand, they may notice warning signs and symptoms.
When nursing home staff members become aware of abuse, they are required to report the mistreatment. Not only is failure to report abuse a crime, individuals could also be held liable in a civil lawsuit.
After abuse occurs in nursing homes, patients and their families can generally sue the offender as well as the nursing home itself. However, other staff members are who are aware of abuse may also be liable. Negligence on the part of these employees is also grounds for civil lawsuits.
Abuse at nursing homes often indicates a systematic failure. A nursing home abuse attorney in Opelousas may be able to investigate the incident to identify all parties involved and hold them accountable.
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Falls at Nursing Home Centers in Opelousas
Nursing home facilities are required to train their staff to prevent a number of avoidable issues. Chief among these concerns are falls. When a resident trips or falls, the injuries can be life-threatening.
Elderly residents are likely to break hipbones, dislocate shoulders, or suffer head trauma when they fall. An Opelousas nursing home abuse attorney might be able to review details of an incident and conduct an inquiry into the causes.
If trip hazards in common spaces contributed to the fall, nursing home staff may have failed to provide safe living conditions. Similarly, staff may be liable when they do not provide adequate handrails. In the same vein, mats and carpets must not impede residents from moving safely in the facility.
Serious medical bills can accumulate when after a nursing home fall. Elderly patients may require more extensive emergency medical services as well as follow-up care. Additionally, injuries can result in severe pain and suffering, which is also compensable in a lawsuit.
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Nursing Home Resident Bill of Rights
Under Louisiana law, residents of nursing homes have numerous legal protections. When these guarantees are violated, a civil lawsuit may be necessary to address the damages.
Many of these rights deal with the patient’s access to information. Residents should be informed of changes to their medical diagnoses. Additionally, they should have access to Medicare consultations when appropriate. Visits from family and friends are also protected.
When nursing home residents are barred from communicating with doctors and loved ones, they may be eligible for damages for emotional abuse. A nursing home abuse attorney in Opelousas can advise clients on the appropriate legal responses.
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Retain an Opelousas Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Today
Physical and emotional abuse is criminal conduct. In addition to legal fines and jail sentences, the offenders might be responsible for the financial, physical, and emotional toll they cause.
If you suffered from improper care, or a total lack of care, you can begin the process of recovering damages by contacting an Opelousas nursing home abuse lawyer today. A legal professional could help you hold the at-fault parties accountable and help prevent further abuse to others.
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