How to Hold a Nursing Home Responsible for Neglect or Abuse

Nursing homes are supposed to provide elderly individuals with a high level of care and a safe living environment. However, cases of abuse and neglect still occur in these facilities. Knowing whether your loved one’s nursing home might be liable for injuries can be hard to determine on your own. If you suspect that your loved one has sustained injuries caused by neglect or abuse, you should seek help from a nursing home abuse attorney.

Examples of Nursing Home Liability

When is a nursing home liable for personal injuries that a resident suffers? Keep in mind that these facilities are expected to provide safety, assistance with personal hygiene, medical care, meals, and other necessities. The loved one’s nursing home is liable for personal injuries if any of the following situations have occurred:

• Improper staff training
• Physical abuse, mental abuse, and other forms of abuse that are intentional
• Neglect in terms of health care or medical care, such as not giving medications
• Lack of discipline when staff engages in neglectful or harmful behavior
• Not performing background checks or following other procedures to safely hire staff members
• Failure to provide basic necessities, such as water and food
• Hazardous environment
• No protection from third-party hazards and other safety risks
• Harmful physical restraints

Nursing Home Negligence Cases

When a loved one has personal injuries that have been caused by neglect in a nursing home, you will need to show proof that this occurred. Nursing homes are required to provide residents with a duty of care, which refers to certain standards or levels of care. When you decide to seek compensation for nursing home abuse or neglect, you will need to provide evidence showing that the facility:

• Owed your loved one a duty of care
• Failed to provide the duty of care
• Caused your loved one’s injuries due to this failure to provide the duty of care

Gathering this evidence on your own can be highly difficult to do. Having a nursing home neglect attorney at your side helps ensure that you have the proof you need. Your attorney can also determine the amount of compensation you are able to seek for nursing home abuse or neglect, which is based on the details of your case.

Get a Free Consultation with a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

If you believe a loved one is suffering from nursing home neglect or abuse, please contact Harrell & Harrell for a free consultation. Our nursing home abuse attorneys in Jacksonville can evaluate your case and provide you with legal help if you decide to file a claim.