Sumter Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Usually, families don’t have any choice but to place their elderly loved ones in a nursing home. Most often, this is the case for older people that need around-the-clock care and are facing some mental or physical conditions. Nursing homes are established to keep the elderly healthy and safe. Therefore, when families put their elderly in such a facility, they are doing so with trust in their hearts towards it. If something does go wrong, a Sumter nursing home abuse lawyer is here, so call us right away.
Sadly, there have been reports of individuals being seriously harmed, injured, or dying in nursing homes. A lot of incidents are tracked back to nursing home abuse in Sumter. APS, or Adult Protective Services estimates elder abuse victim cases rising each year.
Abuse in a nursing home occurs when elderly residents undergo harm or negligence while living in a nursing home. This negligence and abuse can pave a way towards serious health issues, illnesses, mental problems, and even death. According to the NCEA, elderly people over the age make up about 15% of the population. Of those 15%, it is likely that some of them have dementia. A study in 2009 showed 50% of people with dementia experience some kind of abuse. This needs to stop, and our attorney can help fight for the injustices you or a family member has faced.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse
There are three types of nursing home abuse (neglect is actually the fifth type but will be covered separately below). Each type of abuse can cause significant physical, emotional, and financial harm, not only jeopardizing the victim’s joy of life, but also their life in general.
- Physical Abuse—Whether it is out of anger, frustration, or a sense of power, there is never an acceptable time for using force against a nursing home resident, who is only there because of their frail condition. Examples of physical abuse include hitting, slapping, pushing, pinching, forcing down, grabbing, unnecessary use of restraints, withholding of water or food or medication, and any other type of unnecessary, harmful physical contact.
- Psychological/Emotional Abuse—Unfortunately there is the odd cruel person working in nursing and assisted living homes who thrives on belittling or intimidating senior citizens. Examples of psychological abuse include yelling at, threatening, intimidating, mocking, making fun of, teasing, locking up, or any type of punishment or “lesson teaching.”
- Sexual Abuse—Sexual abuse occurs when nursing home staff engages in any type of sexual act with the patient. Because many nursing home patients are not mentally competent, they cannot legally give consent, meaning that even if a staff member claims that the sexual contact was consensual, it is likely that this claim is not legally sound. Examples of sexual abuse include groping, sexual assault, taking nude photos, exposing oneself to the patient, or any other type of sexual contact or act.
- Financial Abuse—Financial abuse is essentially theft. It includes taking money directly from the patient, as well as coercing them into giving “gifts,” overcharging for services or medication, withdrawing money from their bank account, stealing items from their room, etc.
Nursing Home Neglect
Neglect is the fifth type of abuse, and is the most common. Your loved one is staying at a nursing home because they require a great deal of medical care, typically at all hours of the day. This includes providing medications, IVs, help eating and drinking, assistance with cleaning, assistance getting in and out of bed, and constant monitoring. Withholding any of these critical services puts the patient at great risk, and constitutes a form of nursing home abuse. Three common examples include 1) patient falls because they were not assisted getting to the bathroom, 2) patient loses weight because they were not given enough quality food, and 3) patient develops excessive bed sores because they were not rotated frequently enough.
Defining and Recognizing Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Nursing home abuse is defined as the infliction of physical, sexual, or emotional injury or harm including financial exploitation by any person, firm, or corporation.
Nursing home neglect is the failure to provide services to any person for any reason with a legal or contractual duty so when this failure presents either an imminent danger to the health, safety or welfare of the client or a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm would result.
South Carolina has surprisingly good reviews for many nursing homes in the state but that doesn’t mean abuse is obsolete. There are some signs to recognize and pay attention to when it comes to nursing home abuse. If you see sudden weight loss or dehydration. Look closely at your loved ones for wounds on the heels when they are bedridden and not being turned regularly. If their mood is changing and the activity level has decreased it could mean the proper medications are not being administered. Also seeing unexplained bruises or multiple falls could be a sign of neglect or abuse.
Being a compassionate and friendly firm, we at Marc Brown Law Firm care deeply for everyone. We believe that every individual has the right to be treated fairly and given all their legal rights. It is essential to us that everyone living in this world is safe and healthy. In case of someone being violated of their legal rights, causing them some injury, financial issues, physical accidents, or any problems, we want to be of service and help them collect the compensation they deserve.
Even though there are a lot of competent and knowledgeable attorneys working at the Mark Brown Law Firm, the main face and representation of an excellent Sumter nursing home abuse lawyer is Marc Brown. He is a highly skilled and experienced lawyer who works hard for his clients. Marc Brown formerly gained his experience at a national firm defending corporate organizations. Therefore, his understanding of the cases and ways to fight for his clients is applauding. Marc Brown cares deeply for all his clients and wants to help them every way possible.
What Can a Lawyer Do for You?
Abuse in a nursing home causes suffering for the residents and their families both. The victim could have faced injuries that need medical attention. People that trusted a nursing home to take care of their elderly loved one would be emotionally distressed. No matter what your financial situations, maybe, you have to seek justice. A nursing home abuse lawyer in Sumter can help you collect statements, records, and documents that are required to strengthen your case. Through a legal calm, lawyers help the family receive financial compensation
Most importantly, attorneys hold the abusers accountable. It is essential to keep the people responsible for their actions so that it makes them realize and another family might not have to suffer the way you did. Generally, not all lawyers would have the experience or resources to handle your case correctly, with efficiency. You need to hire such a firm that knows how to handle these cases the right way, so you seek the justice you deserve.
Marc Brown from the Marc Brown Law Firm is an experienced and professional lawyer and can help you win your case and seek justice for you.
Let Our Sumter Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Fight For You!
No one should ever become victim to nursing home abuse. We understand how important loved ones mean to you. If you or your elderly loved one has faced any nursing home abuse in Sumter, contact us and book your free appointment. We will satisfy you with our results by winning your case with full consideration and concentration.
