Immokalee Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Nursing homes provide around-the-clock skilled nursing care to vulnerable residents, many of them elderly. Florida has more nursing homes per capita than practically any other state in the country, which provide care to hundreds of thousands of residents. Although the state regulates these facilities, too many nursing homes are dangerous. Residents suffer abuse from staff or other patients on the premises.
Call Cardinal Law, P.A., today if you suspect a loved one is being abused in a facility. The signs are often difficult to detect. Even worse, many vulnerable residents can no longer express themselves, or they stay silent out of fear. You realize that something is wrong but don’t know what. Call our Immokalee nursing home abuse lawyer, who can investigate and demand justice.
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
Abuse takes different forms:
- Physical abuse. A resident might suffer assault in the form of biting, pinching, kicking, punching, or suffocation. Dehydration and malnutrition are other types of physical abuse. The abuser might be a staff member or another resident. Signs include unexplained bruises or trips to the hospital, as well as serious injuries like concussions or fractures.
- Sexual abuse. Sadly, sexual abuse is a very real threat in nursing homes. A resident could have bruises around their genitals, or even contract a sexually transmitted infection. Abuse includes sexual assault, as well as forcing a resident to watch pornography.
- Emotional abuse. Residents are abused emotionally when they are harassed, isolated, or denigrated. A resident can withdraw and even exhibit child-like behavior, like sucking a thumb. Emotional abuse is often hard to detect because of the lack of visible bruises.
- Chemical abuse. Some nursing homes use psychoactive drugs off-label to restrain patients. This is a type of abuse when the patient does not really need to take the drug.
What should loved ones do if they suspect abuse? Call our law firm. An Immokalee nursing home abuse lawyer can contact the nursing home to investigate. We might escalate the issue to nursing home management, which owes residents a duty to provide quality care. A nursing home must properly hire, supervise, and train their staff. They also need to protect residents from each other, especially violent residents. When a home fails at these critical duties, they are liable for abuse.
We can also seek remedies for the abuse, such as financial compensation for bodily injuries and emotional distress. Abuse can make residents sicker and leaves many emotional scars. Our firm will seek full compensation to force change in the nursing home.
Call Us Today
Family members often hesitate to blame a nursing home for abuse. But many homes are understaffed and poorly managed, and the state has not shut down the worst facilities despite mounting complaints from concerned families of residents. Sometimes the only thing to do is to take the matter into your own hands. Call Cardinal Law today. Our Immokalee nursing home abuse lawyer will discuss your legal options, including transferring a loved one to a new home. We will then seek favorable compensation or other remedies.
