Nursing home abuse is a heinous crime against seniors and disabled individuals. Under the circumstances, the nursing home administrators are not providing the highest level of care for their patients and fail to provide the patient with the promised services. Families can start a legal claim against the nursing home when there is evidence of abuse.
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Get Evidence of the Abuse
The first step is to secure evidence of the elder abuse, and the family can take their loved one to a hospital for a medical assessment. Medical records can provide clear evidence of assault and abuse. When the family is ready to report the nursing home, they must have plenty of evidence that shows signs of abuse and not just unfortunate accidents.
If the medical records do not indicate abuse, it’s less likely that the family will be taken seriously. The nursing home cannot have a record of the senior falling or other accidents that explain away the injuries. Families that need help suing a nursing home start by contacting an attorney.
Find Out Who Is Abusing Your Loved One
Interviewing the senior could help the family identify who is abusing their loved one. When visiting the loved one, the family can give them a safe way to point out the worker that harmed them. Frequent visits to the nursing home can help the family identify when this individual works and how often they have contact with their loved one.
If there is more than one worker that has abused the patient, it could become trickier for the senior to identify all parties. After getting the information from their senior, the loved ones can find out the worker’s name if the senior doesn’t know it and get ready to report them.
Report the Abuse to the Authorities
The next step is to report the abuse. The family must report the criminal acts to law enforcement and complete a report. The officers will review the patient’s injuries and determine if there are any signs of abuse. If there are injuries, the officers can arrest the perpetrator in some cases. The police report can provide evidence of the abuse and allow the county to prosecute the accused.
Collect All Evidence
The family will need to get images of all injuries to document them for the case. If there are any new injuries, the family members can take their loved ones to the ER to document the injuries. After hiring an attorney, the lawyer can file a motion through the court to get all video surveillance footage from the nursing home before it conveniently comes up missing.
Remove Your Loved One From Harm’s Way
The next step is to remove the senior loved one from the nursing facility and refuse to bring them back. At this point, the nursing home administrator will be aware that the family has filed a lawsuit. It is recommended that the family remove their loved one to prevent the administrators or the staff from retaliating against the senior for reporting them or having a co-worker arrested.
Nursing home abuse could produce serious or life-threatening injuries for seniors and disabled individuals. Families must take steps to protect their loved ones if the families suspect abuse. They must start by getting evidence and reporting the worker who caused injuries. By hiring an attorney and taking legal action, the family can hold the nursing home accountable for their loved one’s injuries.
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