If you have a loved one or a relative in a nursing home, you’ve probably heard tragic stories of neglect and abuse. Many of the times, the abuse comes from the nursing home caregivers and employees. Staying informed can help you notice the signs if ever your loved ones are being abused.
If you have noticed your loved one has been abused, you are probably wondering if you can sue the nursing home for hiring an employee that hurt your relative. The answer is yes, you can sue the nursing home. Read more about the process, what next steps to take and how an Orange County personal injury lawyer can help.
What Is Nursing Home Neglect?
First, you might be wondering about the signs of abuse from employees or how to determine if an employee might be abusing a resident in a nursing home. Abuse is different from neglect. Abuse is when an employee takes a certain action towards your loved one that results in their harm. Neglect is more about what the nursing home does not do that might affect your loved one.
Abuse can be:
- Physical. Meaning your loved one has bruises, marks, broken bones, or other injuries that didn’t result from natural causes.
- Emotional. The nursing home employees say things to your loved one that cause them to suffer emotionally or feel bad about themselves.
- Verbal. The employee at the nursing home may scold the resident or say hurtful things to them that make them feel helpless or less confident.
Emotional and verbal abuse are harder to spot the signs of because the signs are less visible. Always check on your loved one and ask how the people in the home treat them and if they feel comfortable with the people taking care of them.
Steps for Suing the Nursing Home
If you know your loved one has been abused, don’t keep quiet. You can remove them from the home and then start the process of filing a lawsuit. This usually means you will need to contact a lawyer, as lawsuits can be extremely complicated.
You will also need to gather evidence and documentation. Any kind of documentation from the nursing home that shows your loved one is not receiving the care they deserve or has suffered abuse by the staff.
Consult your lawyer to discuss eligibility for both economic damages and non-economic damages to compensate your loved one for the harm they experienced. They will be able to guide you through the process and tell you the best steps to take.
Get Ahold of a Lawyer Today
Nursing home abuse is serious and should not be ignored. Remove your loved one from the facility right away and consider filing a lawsuit to get their life back on track.
Contact the top-rated legal professionals at Kohan & Bablove Injury Attorneys today by calling 844-404-2400 or fill out the form on our website to pursue justice for your family.
