Concord Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
When you have a disabled or elderly loved one in a nearby nursing home in Concord, the idea of them being intentionally hurt can seem horrifying. The unfortunate reality is that abuse in these facilities happens more often than you may think. When you know it is happening to your loved one, a Concord personal injury lawyer can walk you through the actions you should take to make sure their rights are met.
How Can a Concord Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Help?
Finding out that your loved one is experiencing neglect or abuse is heartbreaking. A Concord nursing home abuse lawyer knows the rights of nursing home abuse victims and can help in the following ways:
Investigate Your Claim
Once you bring a claim forward, your lawyer can thoroughly investigate the specifics of your case. They will gather evidence, which will include witness statements, video surveillance, photos, staff logs, and medical records.
Help With Identifying the Signs of Abuse
If you have a strong belief that your loved one is being abused, a lawyer can help you distinguish if you may have a case. They can also help to identify multiple types of abuse you may be able to start a lawsuit for.
Understanding of Complex Legal Terms
You could go through this legal journey yourself with a nursing home, but you may not understand all of the legal jargon or strict regulations. With an attorney on your side, you can better understand what everything means and how to navigate the way through.
Help to Establish Liability
An abuse case can involve numerous liable parties. This could look like the nursing home management, a nurse, a team of nurses, or even an outside company. Your attorney can help you pinpoint exactly who holds the fault.
Assistance With Going After Compensation
If your loved one is a victim of abuse, compensation may be on the table. Medical expenses, emotional trauma, punitive damages, pain and suffering, relocation costs to a safer facility, and other relatable types of compensation may be available. Your lawyer can walk you through the steps for reporting nursing home abuse in California.
Why Choose Milanfar Law Firm, PC?
There are countless reasons to work with our compassionate team. Just a few reasons you can benefit from having us on your side are:
- We have won $32,000,000 in elder abuse damages for clients
- Our firm was voted number 1 for elder abuse lawsuit jury verdict in California in 2023
- Thorough experience with how each side operates: the defendant and the plaintiff
- True dedication to get to the root of the matter to provide effective storytelling
- Advocates who look at your case from multiple angles and perspectives
What Types of Nursing Home Abuse Cases Happen in Concord?
Nursing home abuse involves any intentional harm or deprivation of necessary care or services that lead to mental or physical harm. Despite having regulations in place to ensure safety, abuse still continues to happen. Some of the common types of nursing home abuse include:
Physical Abuse in a Nursing Home
Physical abuse is when someone causes harmful force that leads to injury, impairment, or pain. You can recognize physical abuse by injuries, fractures, or bruises. Your loved one may also change behavior and be more withdrawn or fearful.
Psychological and Emotional Abuse
This type of abuse usually involves behaviors or actions that cause fear and distress in your loved one. It can be a little tricky to detect this type of abuse as there are no physical scars, so you have to monitor their emotional side.
Abandonment or Neglect
Abandonment is when a caregiver leaves a resident unattended and just deserts them. Neglect is when a caregiver fails to provide the necessary and basic care, which ends up leading to harm or a risk of harm to the resident. You can spot signs of neglect and abandonment if you notice dehydration, malnutrition, bed sores, or untreated medical conditions.
Financial Exploitation of an Elderly Resident
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for people to take advantage of a resident financially. This could look like someone being guilty of unauthorized use or theft of a resident’s property or money. This can also involve coercing a resident to sign a financial agreement or forge their signature.
What to Do If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect
Elder abuse is on the rise, with more than 200,000 elder abuse cases being reported in California every year. What is even worse is that it is suspected that there are several other unreported cases of abuse.
If you suspect nursing home abuse, it is in the resident’s best interest to report it. By doing so, you can help them feel safe again. If it is an immediate situation, you should call 911. This will allow law enforcement and first responders to assess the situation and offer medical care if necessary, quickly.
The next step is to report the abuse to the appropriate state department in California. You can contact the California Adult Protective Services (APS) and they will do a thorough investigation. The California Long-Term Care Ombudsman also handles reports of abuse, especially for nursing and adult residential facilities. The Attorney General’s Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse will investigate and prosecute fraud and elder abuse.
Who Can Be Liable for Nursing Home Abuse?
There can be multiple people liable for nursing home abuse or just one. If a nurse was solely participating in the abuse, it would just be that one person. However, another scenario could be where a nurse was forced to work extra shifts that went against the hours you are allowed to work, so they gave the wrong medication. This could fall under negligence for both the nurse and the facility.
This is why it is important to go over your case with a nursing home abuse attorney in Concord. They can get to the root of the problem and see if there is more than one person to be liable.
What Kind Of Compensation is Available for a Nursing Home Abuse Case?
The recoverable damages for your personal injury case will depend. Some possibilities may include:
- Medical treatment for any physical abuse or medication wrongdoings that caused problems
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death
Contact Our Concord Nursing Home Abuse Attorney For a Free Consult
Dealing with a case that involves someone hurting your loved one can be infuriating. With emotions mixed in, it is best to let our team help so we can make sure every potential type of justice is served. Contact Milanfar Law to set up a free consultation.