Holding Nursing Homes Accountable For Neglect And Abuse
When a senior suffers an injury in a nursing home, the staff may attempt to explain it away as the result of old age or poor health. The injury may instead be a sign of nursing home neglect or abuse.
Neglect and abuse of residents in Kentucky nursing homes happens far more often than we would like to believe. At the law firm of Satterley & Kelley PLLC in Louisville, our lawyers hold nursing homes accountable when they are negligent in caring for their residents.
Kentucky Comes Up Short In Elder Care
Your family may be unable to provide the medical help your loved one needs at this period in their life, so trusting them to professional care may seem in their best interest. Unfortunately, many facilities in Kentucky may not live up to expectations.
Unprepared and unequipped homes can quickly lead to worsening conditions. Though you want to assume the best, there are several ways elder care throughout the state can prove much worse:
- Not enough staff to care for the population
- Lack of qualified oversight
- Unable to provide proper nutritional care
- Grounds in disrepair, or out of date facilities
- Failure to maintain hygienic areas
The health of older loved ones can be a balancing act that takes time, attention and resources. It could be your family that pays the price when any one of these metrics comes up short. The emotional and economic costs to deal with mounting concerns can prove enormous.
It may be essential to enlist experienced help when compensation may be in order. Satterley & Kelley PLLC can use their decades of personal injury knowledge to aid you. You will likely need to discover the areas where care did not meet expectations and led to aggravated symptoms.
Symptoms Of Nursing Home Neglect Or Abuse
The following are examples of injuries that may be due to neglect or of lax supervision or background checks of nursing home staff:
- Bedsores (also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers)
- Falls resulting in fractures or concussion
- Wandering and leaving the facility
- Dehydration and malnutrition
- Prescription errors
- Misdiagnosis or failure to diagnose serious illness
- Abuse and assault
- Sexual abuse
- Financial abuse such as theft
- Restraint injuries and strangulation
- Wrongful death
Your loved one may be entitled to compensation if their injury could have been prevented by following the appropriate standards of care. Our lawyers can assist you in seeking money for medical expenses, as well as pain, suffering and reduced quality of life. The civil justice system can provide a strong motivation for nursing homes to provide proper care for their residents.
