Nursing homes can sometimes become the focal point of abuse. When such episodes are found out, it is advisable to consult a professional lawyer. A nursing home abuse lawyer can offer legal support to the victims and their family members in their quest to get justice. The victims can claim financial compensation if he/she was injured or harmed by the nursing home staff members or its other senior residents.
Nursing home residents are mostly admitted into such elderly care homes when they are unable to take care of themselves due to advancing age or some chronic illnesses. The nursing home staff are appointed to proper care of the elderly seniors and keep them healthy and safe. Regrettably, these professional staff members, in some cases, turn into abusers and harm the senior citizens whom they should be protecting.
Nursing home abuse can include physical violence, financial blackmailing, emotional harm, or even sexual molestation. Such incidents can leave the victim extremely traumatized; resident victims may be physically injured or emotionally drained due to the abuse. Some victims can even suffer fatal injuries and die.
The Role of a Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Reputed nursing home abuse lawyers dedicate their careers to help abuse victims. These professional attorneys are equipped with all the knowledge, skills, and training to help victims receive monetary compensation and punish the guilty staff member.
Nursing home abuse lawyers are also known to handle cases related to nursing home neglect as well. You can hire lawyers according to the nature of your grievance. You may also consult a professional attorney to decide whether to press charges against the guilty party.
Salient Features of Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys:
- They work at authentic law firms in the United States and abide by all the rules and regulations
- They have all the necessary resources that include knowledge on abuse laws related to nursing homes, access to files of previous abuse cases, and prevalent state laws.
- Reputed lawyers do not take an upfront fee but rather work on a contingency basis. They prefer payment based on the compensation received by their clients.
- Abuse lawyers have the necessary training and experience in handling different types of nursing home abuse cases that include physical torture, financial exploitation, neglected care, and sexual misconduct.
- In most of the cases, families of victims who have filed a lawsuit and pressed charges with the support of an attorney have received thousands or millions of dollars as compensation or settlement amount.
A nursing home abuse lawyer may want to meet the victim and immediate family affiliates. He will then listen to the case and decide on the legal action to be taken. During the meeting, he may discuss the period of abuse, the circumstances, the mental and physical health of the victim, and the duration of the victim’s stay in the nursing home care.
Gaining relevant information about the case, the lawyer will recommend the next course of action. It may be filing a lawsuit on the behalf of the victim. After this, the victim and his/her family are referred to as the plaintiffs of the court case.