A nursing home, elder care, rest home or convalescent home can be held responsible legally when an act of abuse or neglect ends up in causing harm to the residents or the patients. A medical malpractice or personal injury lawsuit can be filed in such cases. A professional Terry Law Firm in St. Louis can help you in case you or someone in your family is harmed due to such negligence or medical malpractice.
- Nursing home abuse
A patient or resident can face physical or emotional abuse at the nursing home. Physical abuse involves prolonged deprivation of food and water, physical constraints, sexual assault, unauthorized use of chemical or physical restraints as punishments. Emotional abuse refers to intentional ignorance or isolation and verbal abuse which can result in pain and sufferings that cause harm to their well being. While physical abuse can be detected easily by scrapes, bruises, and injuries on the body, emotional abuse can be difficult to identify. It can be seen through the warning signs like a change in personality or behavior of the victim.
- Nursing home neglect
Nursing home neglect can be more harmful to the patient than abuse and commonly occurs when a patient is not supervised properly mainly by poorly trained or inexperienced staff. The neglected patients can face illness and injuries such as
- Falls – Poorly fitted wheelchairs, wet floor, high beds are common causes of falls in the nursing homes. The patients are required to be assisted properly by well-trained staff to avoid such incidents.
- Bed sores: The patients who are not attended properly at the nursing homes are at risk of developing bed sores or pressure sores that are extremely painful and can also cause life-threatening complications. This type of illness is common in bedridden patients. They need to be turned regularly, kept dry and clean, and require proper nourishment and hydration.
- Elopement: Mentally challenged patients, dementia or Alzheimer patients need special supervision to prevent them from wandering away from the nursing home. It can cause a huge risk to the life of the patient and other people.
- Malnutrition: Patients and residents who are not nourished and hydrated properly due to negligence can suffer from malnutrition or dehydration that can lead to suffering or even death.
If you or your family member has suffered from any of the above-stated issues in a nursing home, elder care or rest home, you can file a lawsuit against them and can ask for claim for your suffering, economic and noneconomic loss.
If you or your loved one has been the victim of such negligence or medical malpractice, you do not need to suffer in silence. At Terry Law Firm in St. Louis, experienced lawyers can help you in filing a claim against nursing home abuse and neglect and get you the justice you need for your loss. You can get not only the compensation for all the financial, physical and emotional sufferings but also the care you deserve for your sufferings.