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There are nearly 17,000 nursing homes in the United States that currently care for 1.6 million residents - a figure expected to quadruple to 6.6 million residents by 2050. The quality of care provided by these nursing homes has been the subject of much scrutiny in recent years. Understaffing, inadequate training and employee overworking and underpayment are a few of the shortfalls that result in poor treatment of residents. Because nursing home residents are dependent on staff members for most or all of their needs, such as food, water, medicine, toileting, grooming, stimulation and activity, they are very vulnerable to abuse and neglect.
Obviously, physical abuse of a nursing home resident would be manifested by cuts, bruises, scrapes or other visible injuries to the person. The resident may tell you that he or she has been slapped, shaken, punched or otherwise mistreated. Physical neglect may be evident in the absence of staff attention to the resident's personal hygiene. The failure of staff to provide for the resident's necessities of daily living can be another sign of neglect.
Occasionally, changes in the resident's mood or personality may be as a result of emotional upset or abuse. Other obvious warning signs include unexplained and rapid weight loss, broken bones (especially broken hips as a consequence of falls) and health problems of any sort which were previously unreported to the resident's family by the facility staff.
Nursing home cases require sensitive yet aggressive representation. Your loved one was made a victim. Unfortunately, while your loved one was likely abused at the hands of an individual or several individuals, many nursing homes are owned by large corporations which make a great deal of profit in the caring for your family member.
The law as it relates to nursing home neglect and elder abuse and the injuries that flow from such abuse are unique. If you or a family member has been the victim of nursing home neglect or elder abuse, you should consider hiring an attorney who specializes in handling such abuse cases. Ken Wagner Law, P.A., is experienced and equipped for the challenge of this type of representation.
If you need an attorney regarding nursing home abuse in the Albuquerque area, we have over fifty years of experience with these types of cases. If you have been injured or someone you love has been killed or injured through nursing home abuse or neglect, contact us for a consultation at (505) 242 - 6300 or e-mail us at info@kenwagnerlaw.com.
Consultations with our law firm are free and we take cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that we collect an attorney fee only if you recover a settlement or judgment in your lawsuit. |
