Nursing Home Abuse

Zachary D. Clayton: Your Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer in Las Vegas

As the “baby boomer” generation retires, there is a greater demand for assisted living facilities. This means the overall nursing home population in the United States is going to grow for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the nursing home industry is not prepared for the ensuing demand that will be placed on it for quality care. In fact, Nevada nursing home facilities are stretched thin in terms of their availability and staffing. When any business is having a problem meeting the demands of its market, this can lead to an increased likelihood that mistakes will be made.

When mistakes are made in this setting, the wrong people get hired and nursing home residents are seriously injured, become seriously ill, or even lose their lives.

This is why the duty owed to our older and ill loved ones does not end when they move into a nursing home. Instead, that duty merely changes. We owe it to those we love to do everything that we can to make sure that they are safe and happy, which means that if we suspect that anything is wrong we need to act on it immediately. In this situation, it’s much better to be safe than sorry. There is simply too much on the line.

The decision to place a loved one or family member in a Las Vegas nursing home facility is an incredibly tough experience. When choosing a facility, families want to be sure their loved ones will be properly and adequately cared for and that they will be living in a positive and compassionate environment.

What Are the Examples of Nursing Home Neglect and Mistreatment?

One of the more unfortunate aspects of nursing home abuse and neglect is that cases are frequently unreported.

Whether elderly victims lack the ability to articulate their injuries or if they are unwilling to discuss them, it becomes the responsibility of family members and loved ones to be aware of the condition of elderly residents and to bring any suspicious situations to the attention of a legal professional who can help you determine the extent of negligence as well as assist you in filing a personal injury or medical malpractice claim.

Nursing home neglect and abuse in Las Vegas can take many forms, resulting in physical, emotional, and psychological repercussions. As elderly residents are often in fragile and vulnerable states of health, abuse and neglect can result in severe injuries and illnesses and can potentially be fatal.

Some of the common forms of nursing home abuse include:

• Physical abuse and violence
• Emotional abuse
• Neglecting basic needs
• Neglecting hygiene needs
• Medical neglect
• Financial exploitation

No matter the nature of neglect or abuse, these types of inconsiderate behavior and violations should never be tolerated. If you notice any physical signs of injuries, unacceptable conditions in hygiene or health, frequent arguments or tension between caregivers and elderly residents, or any changes in personality or behavior, then you should bring the situation to the attention of Zachary D. Clayton – a Las Vegas nursing home abuse lawyer with LV Personal Injury Lawyers – as soon as possible.

By providing you and your family with a friendly and inviting atmosphere, you can be comfortable with discussing these personal and unfortunate circumstances and can help us put an end to the neglect for both your loved one and other elderly residents.

Prime Example of Nursing Home Neglect – Bed Sores

There are many different signs of mistreatment that can arise when someone is living in an assisted living center, and one of the telltale signs of neglect or even abuse in certain situations is the appearance of bedsores. Below you will find a brief overview of what bed lesions are, how they develop, and what action should be taken in response to their appearance. If you or a loved one has been neglected in a nursing home and has suffered an injury, don’t wait to contact LV Personal Injury Lawyers.

What Our Clients Say

I suffered a devastating auto accident in Las Vegas due to someone else's fault. I was fortunate enough to call LV Personal Injury Lawyers who helped me in the most effective and client-friendly way possible.

James White Car Accident Victim

5

Contact Now

Bed sores are also called pressure sores or pressure ulcers. These sores are basically serious injuries to the skin and the underlying tissue where one particular area has been exposed to constant and long-term pressure. When patients with limited mobility are not regularly repositioned in their beds, they run a serious risk of developing sores that can cause serious pain, infection, and, in the worst cases, even death.

Bedsores usually develop over areas that cover bones, and there are varying degrees of bedsores that can develop. Some bedsores will heal over time if they are not extremely severe, but even this healing process can take months. Other sores are so severe that the skin and underlying tissue suffer deep damage. There is little if anything that can be done at this point, and it should also be noted that any type of bedsore is extremely painful for a patient.

Given the way that bed wounds develop, their appearance on a resident of an assisted living center can only mean that they are not being treated properly. It takes weeks or even months for these sores to develop in some patients, and all it takes to prevent them is a regular schedule of moving people to a different position at regular intervals so that the same area of the skin is not being pressured by the underlying bed. As such, people who find themselves suffering from bedsores need to take legal action to protect their rights.

Nursing Home Neglect Stemming from Unsanitary Nursing Home Conditions

In addition to bedsores, an example of nursing home neglect is when the facility becomes unsanitary and poses serious health risks to its residents. Anyone who has ever cared for a family member of any age understands that people need almost constant attention to make sure that they are living in safe, clean, and healthy environments.

• The nursing home must practice sound and regular hygiene.
• Nursing home residents need to be able to change into fresh and clean clothes regularly.
• Nursing home residents must be able to sleep in a clean bed
• Nursing home residents need to be able to eat healthy foods off of clean plates and while using clean utensils.

If any of these regular efforts are not made with residents of assisted living facilities, they can quickly become seriously ill. These efforts do not even include the need to keep common areas free from bacteria as much as possible and doing other things to minimize the chance that a virus or bacteria spread through the facility.

As stated above, people who are already vulnerable to illness or harm will only face a greater chance of suffering when unsanitary conditions are present.

Las Vegas nursing homes that fail in their duty to provide a safe, clean, and sanitary living environment for their residents can and should be held legally accountable for their negligence through a nursing home negligence claim.

If You See Something, Say Something

If you visit a loved one in a nursing home and notice unsanitary conditions, you need to act immediately. Complain to the facility’s management and request that they deal with the problem. Take pictures of unsanitary conditions that you notice in case you will need to use them later down the road.

Keep a close eye on that loved one so that you’re ready to respond quickly to any signs of illness or weakness. Finally, if your loved one has been harmed because of unsanitary conditions, you should seek the advice of an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer.

Legal Duties Owed to Residents of Nevada Nursing Homes

There are specific legal duties owed by nursing home staff and management to their residents. These duties include:

• The Duty of Care to Provide Ongoing Oversight – Almost regardless of whether someone moves into an assisted living center because of age or illness, their overall medical conditions need to be closely monitored. That’s because people who are already ill and/or advanced in age tend to be vulnerable to viruses and other illnesses. Therefore, staff members at these facilities need to regularly check on basic signs of health that include weight, the taking of temperatures and the early recognition of any forming illnesses. Failure to do so would likely be considered negligent and potentially give rise to a medical malpractice claim.
• The Duty of Care to Provide Appropriate Prescription Medication – Many people who live in assisted living centers need to follow a regular protocol of medication for any number of different reasons. When this medication is either not provided at all or is not provided at the proper intervals or even in the proper dosage amounts the residents can suffer in extreme ways. Failure to properly manage these medication protocols could lead to a finding of legal liability if someone who is harmed decides to pursue legal remedies.
• The Duty of Care to Provide Emergency Medical Treatment – Nursing home staff members need to monitor their residents to make sure that they recognize the onset of any serious medical issues as quickly as possible. When these situations arise, the staff are expected to make whatever arrangements are necessary for those residents to obtain the care they need. This could include calling in specialists or even transferring residents to hospitals if acute care is needed. When this does not happen, people can lose their lives as a result.

What Kind of Damages Can You Pursue As Part of a Nursing Home Neglect or Abuse Claim?

There are a number of recoverable monetary compensation options when it comes to nursing home neglect or abuse claims, such as:

• Suffering and pain, which includes emotional and physical stress.
• Medical care, which includes medical bills from the present and future, prescription drugs, and rehabilitation expenses that come with treatment of the injuries sustained by abuse or neglect.

What Is the Cost of Hiring a Las Vegas Injury Lawyer?

It doesn’t cost you anything upfront if you would like to retain a respected and skilled personal injury lawyer’s services in Las Vegas. The reason for this is because attorneys tend to work on contingency fees in order to get paid when it comes to injury lawsuits. Such a legal arrangement lets the injured individual utilize the services of a skilled lawyer without the need to prepay legal costs.

As part of the arrangement for contingency fees, an attorney’s costs will be subtracted from either the trial’s final verdict or your case’s final settlement. Further, many personal injury attorneys in Las Vegas will subtract the costs that they fronted. The specific percentage of the contingency fee will differ as per the kind of case it is and when a resolution is reached.

Why Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas Is Important

There is an array of advantages that come with the retention of an injury attorney. To begin with, hiring a lawyer lets you concentrate on recovering, thereby stopping you from stressing out and worrying about insurance company negotiations. From there, once the services of a personal injury law firm in Las Vegas are retained, a firm of ethical, respected, and dedicated lawyers with extensive roots in the city’s community will represent you.

You’ll also have a staff of legal assistants, skilled investigators, and paralegals working around the clock to ensure that your nursing home neglect or abuse case receives the attention warranted.

Be Proactive and Get in Touch with Our Personal Injury Attorneys Today

Take action and make the nursing home that was negligent responsible. Get in touch with LV Personal Injury Lawyers now. You will not be charged hourly fees to retain our services.

If you sustained serious bodily injuries and damages because of the abuse or negligence of staff at a nursing home, the knowledgeable and skilled lawyers at our firm will be happy to help you. Our staff of experienced and knowledgeable lawyers will take the time they need to get you the monetary compensation you are entitled to.

To book a confidential evaluation of your case at no charge with Las Vegas attorney Zachary D. Clayton, contact us either online or by phone.