Fostoria Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

When it comes time to move loved ones into nursing homes and assisted living communities, the expectation is that they will receive excellent care and a peaceful home environment. Nursing home abuse is rampant. Residents can easily fall victim to both physical and psychological abuse at the hands of staff members.

Overworked staff can be just as bad, as they neglect your loved one in order to keep up with their duties. No one should live out their senior years in such conditions. If you suspect a loved one is being neglected or abused in a nursing home, call a Fostoria nursing home abuse lawyer. A compassionate personal injury lawyer can help you pursue a case for compensation on behalf of your loved one.

Warning Signs of Abuse

The best way to prevent serious abuse and neglect is to keep an eye on loved ones in nursing homes. Visit them frequently, and while visiting, individuals should take notice of the following red flags:

• Poor hygiene
• Untreated bed sores
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fearfulness or withdrawal from normal activities
• Distress when being bathed or changed
• Bruises
• Unusual financial transactions
• Hair loss
• Torn, bloodied or stained clothing

While none of these necessarily prove abuse has occurred, they are enough to warrant concern. Nursing home abuse is notoriously difficult to catch, but with constant vigilance and help from a Fostoria nursing home abuse attorney, someone can gather enough evidence to prove something is going wrong.

When to Pursue a Personal Injury Case

If a loved one has suffered an injury while in an assisted living community or nursing home and it is possible negligence or abuse contributed to their pain, family members should take the following steps:

• Ask questions: It never hurts to ask about why, how, and when such an injury occurred. Loved ones have a right to ask nurses, administrators and other nursing home employees about the care the loved one receives, especially when concerned about their well-being
• Take pictures: Photos can be used as evidence long after bruises fade and bed sores heal
• Nursing home staff members are required to document any time a patient gets hurt. Individuals should ask for copies of this documentation to keep for their own records
• Hire an attorney: If negligence or abuse truly did play a role in a loved one’s injury, retaining the services of a Fostoria nursing home abuse lawyer is of critical importance

Compensation for Nursing Home Abuse Victims

In Ohio, victims of nursing home abuse are entitled to compensation to make up for the full extent of their losses. Individual’s or their loved ones may be entitled to compensation in the form of relocation costs, medical costs associated with abuse, pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional damage, and even wrongful death.

Benefit of an Attorney

In some cases, punitive damages may be awarded to a victim of, particularly negligent abuse. These damages are a form of compensation that is not meant to make up for the victim’s losses. Instead, punitive damages punish the misdeeds of the person responsible and serve as a deterrent from ever acting in the same way again. Punitive damages typically only apply in especially egregious cases of neglect and abuse. Fostoria nursing home abuse lawyers are ready to help you seek justice.