Nursing Home Negligence Lawyers in Champaign
Providing Exceptional Representation for Elderly Victims of Neglect & Abuse
The medical staffers and employees at nursing homes and assisted living facilities are entrusted with the health and safety of our most vulnerable citizens. In fact, families pay these facilities about $100,000 a year to provide their elderly loved ones with exceptional care and essential medical services. However, in 2017, the federal government cited over 1,000 nursing homes for the physical and sexual abuse of patients. According to recent reports, over 35% of all nursing home employees claim to have witnessed at least one case of elder abuse. Unfortunately, most cases of elder abuse are never reported because scared patients are manipulated and threatened by their caregivers. It’s up to families to ensure that these facilities uphold a reasonable standard of care by visiting often and watching for signs of abuse and neglect.
Contact the Champaign nursing home negligence attorneys at Woodruff Johnson & Evans if your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect while in the care of a nursing home facility. Our legal team can investigate the case and help you seek justice for your beloved family member. By filing a claim against the negligent party, you may be able to recover damages and ensure that other patients aren’t harmed by the staffers at the facility again.
If you’re ready to hold a nursing home or an assisted living facility accountable for their actions, call our Champaign nursing home negligence lawyers at (630) 585-2320.
Identifying Signs of Neglect & Abuse
The only way to protect your elderly loved one is to visit the nursing home often and check for signs of patient neglect or abuse. It also helps to carefully watch how the staff cares for other residents, and not just how they behave around your loved one. Guilty staffers are known to put on a show when a patient’s family is present. In fact, they may even prevent you from being alone with your loved one just to protect their secrets.
Mistreated patients often fail to report cases of abuse out of fear or obliviousness. However, abuse and neglect can have lasting and harmful effects on a patient’s physical and psychological health. It’s up to family members to recognize the signs of abuse and file claims to hold the staffers at these facilities accountable for their crimes.
Common signs of neglect include:
- Medication errors
- Poor hygiene
- Dehydration
- Malnourishment
- Slip and falls
- Bed sores
- Anxiety
Common signs of physical abuse include:
- Broken bones
- Bruises
- Lacerations
- Scraps
- Fear of staffers
Common signs of emotional abuse include:
- Manipulation
- Threats
- Intimidation
- Humiliation
- Isolation
- Insults
Common signs of financial abuse include:
- Abusing access to a patient’s financial accounts
- Using a patient’s credit cards or checks
- Stealing property or financial assets
- Sudden changes to an estate plan
- Forging signatures on behalf of the patient
You need to trust your instincts when it comes to the health and safety of your loved one. If you’re concerned that your family member is being abused or neglected, you need to remove them from the facility in question and seek immediate legal guidance.
Protect Your Family by Schedule a Free Consultation Today
Abuse and neglect often exacerbate severe medical conditions and serious illnesses. Unfortunately, it’s not unheard of for a case of nursing home abuse to lead to a patient’s death. If you want to file a claim against a nursing home or assisted living facility, contact the Champaign nursing home negligence attorneys at Woodruff Johnson & Evans Law Offices today. During your free consultation, we can evaluate your loved one’s circumstances and guide you in filing an accurate and effective claim. Our legal team can investigate the facility and do everything in our power to help you secure justice and compensation.
Contact Woodruff Johnson & Evans Law Offices at (630) 585-2320 to schedule a free consultation.
