When our loved one’s needs are too great for us, we rely on places like nursing homes to give them the care they need. Unfortunately, nursing homes are not always careful with our loved ones, and many nursing home residents are victims of abuse.
If you believe your family member was abused while living in a nursing home facility, you should contact the police, other doctors, and an attorney immediately. Your loved one should be checked out by doctors for unseen injuries, and the police must be involved, as criminal charges might be implicated. An attorney can help you take legal action to get your loved one compensation. Common signs of abuse in nursing homes include unexplained injuries, recurring injuries, changes in weight, and differences in mood or personality. Your loved one may be awarded compensation for pain, suffering, medical expenses, and various other damages. While individual nurses or caregivers in the nursing home might be liable, the nursing home itself should also be held accountable for allowing the abuse to happen.
To schedule a private case evaluation for no charge with our nursing home abuse lawyers, call the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
What to Do if Your Loved One is the Victim of Nursing Home Abuse in Aurora, IL
If you believe your loved one experienced abuse while living in a nursing home, you should contact the police, other doctors, and a lawyer right away. Turning to the nursing home for help might be hard since the abuse happened there, and staff members might want to protect themselves before you. In many cases, the police can assist.
Nursing home abuse often leads to criminal charges. In many cases, the police will investigate reports of abuse, especially when the abuse involves physical injuries. Even if the police cannot fully investigate or their investigation does not yield evidence, they might still direct you to valuable resources. For example, the police can help you contact the Illinois Department of Public Health to file a report of the abuse.
Your main focus should be getting your loved one to a hospital for evaluation. It is not unusual for abuse victims to have old injuries that were never discovered or reported. Your loved one might have unseen injuries that need to be assessed by a doctor outside their nursing home. This is also important for establishing accurate medical records of your loved one’s injuries that our nursing home abuse attorneys can use as evidence in your lawsuit.
When you are ready, call a lawyer about beginning a lawsuit against the nursing home and the staff members responsible for the abuse. Contact an attorney as soon as possible so that they can begin working on your case immediately. Nursing home abuse lawsuits take time to prepare, and the sooner you call a lawyer, the sooner your loved one can get justice and compensation.
Signs and Symptoms That Might Indicate Nursing Home Abuse in Aurora, IL
For multiple reasons, it can be difficult to accept that your loved one has experienced abuse while living in a nursing home. One of the biggest hurdles that families must overcome is their guilt. People often feel overwhelming guilt for placing their loved ones in the hands of abusers, and admitting that something is wrong can be emotionally difficult. Additionally, people hesitate because they do not want to make such major accusations unless they are totally sure.
If you suspect abuse but are unsure, consider any recurring and unexplained injuries you have noticed. Recurring injuries might include cuts or bruising that seem to show up on a fairly regular basis. For example, you might notice that your loved one’s wrists have been bruised 6 times in the last 3 months. One injury might be an accident, but repeated injuries are a red flag.
Injuries with no explanation are also a major cause for concern. Nursing home staff should be thoroughly documenting all injuries and accidents. You should be concerned if they cannot explain how your loved one was injured.
You should also be on the lookout for physical changes, such as fluctuations in weight or a decline in overall health. On top of that, changes in personality or mood might indicate that something is wrong. These might be signs of abuse and neglect, both physical and emotional.
Possible Damages Your Loved One Can Claim in Aurora, IL Nursing Home Abuse Cases
Damages in nursing home abuse cases can be substantial. Nursing homes are notoriously expensive, and you might claim the cost of living in the abusive nursing home among your damages. You should also include the cost of medical care your loved one received to treat injuries caused by the abuse. If the abuse was severe, the injuries might have needed extensive and costly medical treatment.
Abuse is not only financially draining but emotionally agonizing. Nursing home abuse victims often cannot escape the abuse because they cannot leave the nursing home on their own. They are effectively trapped with their abusers, and the situation is traumatic. Abuse victims might live with this trauma and psychological injuries for many years or even forever.
Who is Liable for Nursing Home Abuse in Aurora, IL?
Nursing home abuse often involves multiple players. There are the people who interact with the abuse victims regularly and are likely directly responsible for the abuse. Identifying the abusive staff members might be tricky as nursing homes are filled with employees who might be in contact with residents. Nurses, on-site doctors, and even maintenance workers might have easy access to residents to abuse them.
Determining who is directly responsible for the abuse is crucial so that we name the correct parties in your lawsuit. Not only can we name the people who directly inflicted the harm, but also other staff members who allowed the abuse to occur. For example, we can sue the nurse who abused your loved one and the nursing assistant for covering it up.
We must also name the nursing home itself in the lawsuit. Whether the abuse stemmed from negligence or intentional acts of harm, the nursing home might be responsible for allowing the harm to occur and doing nothing to stop it.
Call Our Aurora, IL Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers for Help Immediately.
To set up a private case review at no cost to you with our nursing home abuse attorneys, call the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
Resources