If a nursing home resident gets abused or neglected, it can lead to serious injuries and possible death. If the elderly victim is your loved one, you might be eligible to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.
You rely on the nursing home staff and management to provide quality care for your loved one. When they fail to provide responsible care and the results are injuries, illness, or the death of your loved one, you may have legal options.
A Springfield nursing home abuse lawyer can help you through this emotional time. Abuse or neglect of the elderly is never fair, nor is it acceptable. Take the first step toward possible justice by reaching out to a skilled injury attorney at The Kryder Law Group, LLC.
Abuse in Nursing Home Facilities Can Go Beyond Physical Harm
When an elderly loved one requires more care than you can provide, you may need to entrust others with their care. Site visits, online reviews, and friends’ referrals can influence your decision regarding a nursing home facility.
Each resident has different needs and can experience customized treatment. It takes just one poorly trained or unkind staff member to harm your loved one.
The nursing home responsible for your loved one’s care may face punishment for negligence if your loved one suffers abuse or neglect.
Nursing Home Abuse
According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), your elderly loved one may exhibit signs of one or more of the following types of nursing home abuse:
- Physical: Bodily harm caused by hitting, pushing, or other physical actions
- Emotional: Yelling, threatening, or preventing residents from seeing their loved one
- Sexual: Forcing a resident to engage in or watch sexual acts
- Financial exploitation: Stealing a resident’s credit cards, check forgery, or other forms of theft
Nursing Home Neglect
The National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) reports that in a study of 2,000 nursing home residents, 95 percent of respondents reported experiencing neglect or witnessing it with other residents.
Signs of possible neglect can include:
- Poor hygiene
- Dirty clothes
- Malnutrition
- Poor health due to missed medications or other negligence
If your loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, seek medical attention for them immediately. Report the abuse to management and contact a Springfield nursing home abuse attorney.
Follow These Important Steps to Help Your Nursing Home Abuse Case
You might feel helpless about your loved one’s situation. There are steps you can take to help your civil case:
- Document: Take pictures of your loved one’s abuse, such as bruises, and document the date, time, and communication with management and staff.
- Collect: Gather witnesses’ contact information and collect any other types of evidence available, such as your loved one’s medical records.
- Use caution: Do not discuss the case on social media, in text messages with friends, or with insurance company representatives.
Collecting evidence can help your personal injury lawyer prepare your case.
Wrongful Death and Nursing Home Abuse
It is especially tragic when a loved one dies due to nursing home abuse or neglect. Their death may have been senseless, in that it could have been preventable had the staff used care.
The nation’s senior population is entitled to live in a safe place to call home. Any mistreatment of your loved one is unacceptable. If the mistreatment resulted in death, you might be entitled to a wrongful death claim and lawsuit.
A well-practiced assisted living facility lawyer in Springfield can determine if your relationship to the decedent qualifies you for possible compensation. Compensatory damages that may be awarded include funeral costs and loss of companionship.
The Kryder Law Group, LLC, Can File Your Lawsuit on Time
At The Kryder Law Group, LLC, our team feels passionate about holding parties who harm the elderly accountable for their actions. No elderly nursing home resident should suffer discomfort—or die—due to abuse or neglect.
In order for us to help you, we must file your lawsuit within the statute of limitations. Illinois law allows one year for wrongful death lawsuits, per 740 ILCS 108/, and two years for personal injury lawsuits, per 735 ILCS 5/13-202.
Missing these important deadlines is not an option when it comes to civil action. If the deadline passes before you file your case, you may be barred from ever pursuing the compensation you need.
Contact a Springfield Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Now
If your loved one suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home facility, take immediate action. A Springfield nursing home abuse lawyer from The Kryder Law Group, LLC, can help you with your case.
What happened to your loved one can leave you feeling devastated. When you work with our team, you will find us compassionate, caring, and responsive. We work hard to negotiate a fair settlement from insurance companies. If we must go to trial, we are willing to do so to resolve your case.
Nursing home abuse and neglect are disturbing yet all too common. No nursing home facility should put profits over the people entrusted in their care. Understaffing or failing to complete background checks on staff are irresponsible actions that should be held liable if they result in a resident’s injury or death.
Our seasoned attorneys are aware of the tactics insurance companies use to underpay nursing home abuse victims what they are entitled to collect. We can handle the insurance companies and other aspects of your case.
You may have enough to deal with it during this highly emotional time. A member of our team can keep you informed regarding the status of your case.
If your elderly loved one experienced nursing home abuse or neglect, seek help from The Kryder Law Group, LLC, as soon as possible.
(312) 223-1700