Standing Up For Elderly Victims Of Nursing Home Negligence
When you bring your elderly parent or loved one to a nursing home, you trust that the staff will take good care of them. Sadly, neglect and substandard care in Connecticut nursing homes is all too common.
At Sette & Parnoff, PC, we take nursing home negligence very seriously. Nursing homes have a legal responsibility to provide safe and effective care and treatment to residents. If your loved one was harmed or died as result of abuse or neglect in a nursing home facility, our Hamden nursing home neglect attorney can diligently represent you as you pursue compensation from those responsible.
Was your elderly loved one injured at a New Haven County nursing home? Call us today at 203-490-4155 for a FREE consultation.
The Signs Of Nursing Home Neglect
Elderly patients often have trouble doing everyday tasks on their own. They also may suffer from injuries and diseases that require medication and regular treatment. That is why many require assistance with eating, using the restroom, moving about and otherwise taking care of themselves. However, research shows that more than two million cases of elder abuse are reported each year in the United States, including negligent care in nursing homes.
Common indicators of nursing home negligence and neglect include:
- Fall-downs and fractured bones
- Undiagnosed and untreated infections
- Malnutrition, starvation and dehydration
- Chemical restraints and overmedication
- Spiral femur fractures and broken femur bones
What Is Considered Neglect In A Nursing Home?
It can include staff:
- Failing to physically assist residents as required while getting out of bed, assisting to stand and ambulating.
- Failing to rotate residents in bed results in bedsores.
- Not feeding residents based on their diet specifications.
- Not giving residents enough water throughout the day.
- Ignoring residents when they say they are in pain or need medical assistance.
- Not taking a resident’s concerns seriously when they say someone is hurting or harassing them.
Nursing homes have a legal duty of care to protect the adults that live in their facilities from physical, sexual, financial or emotional abuse/neglect of any kind. If you believe your loved one is being mistreated, call us at 203-490-4155. Let’s help your loved one seek the justice they deserve.
How To Report Nursing Home Abuse
There are a few different options you have in Connecticut. For example, you can report the case to the Connecticut Department of Public Health via their website’s complaint page. You can also report your case to the Connecticut Department of Social Services. You can call the protective service referral Intake Lines to alert them of an issue. No matter which state agency you decide to contact, we can help you investigate the specifics of your case by reviewing security footage and documenting other evidence. Your loved one never deserves to be mistreated or neglected in a place that’s supposed to keep them safe. We can help them and you hold their facility accountable and seek appropriate damages. A trusted attorney can help you determine the best organizations to contact and ensure all reports of nursing home negligence are made within the statute of limitations in Connecticut.
Who Is Responsible For A Nursing Home Fall?
The National Institutes of Health report that more than half of nursing home residents fall each year, and those falls often result in lasting injury. Even more alarming, the NIH estimates that 50% to 75% of falls go unreported. Why? Because nursing homes know that they may be liable for damages.
Because they are frail to start with, nursing home residents who fall are prone to hip fractures, broken ankles, broken legs, broken ribs and other fractures and broken bones. Falls also commonly cause concussions and skull fractures, painful bone bruises and other injuries. Many elderly patients are on blood thinner meds, making them highly susceptible to internal bleeding and intracranial hematomas (brain bleeds) when they fall.
Our nursing home neglect attorney, David Parnoff, investigates New Haven facilities to identify the underlying negligence of the nursing home staff and/or administration that contributed to a fall, including:
- Failure to assess (or re-assess) patients for fall risk
- Failure to use bed rails or other protections
- Failure to assist residents with bathing or using the restroom
- Failure to assist patients with getting out of bed or walking
- Leaving equipment or obstacles in walkways
- Improper restraints on wheelchairs and gurneys
- Slippery floors from spills or mopping
- Failure to monitor patients or answer call buttons
- Understaffing and inadequate training
Compensation For Lasting Harm To Your Loved One
We hold nursing homes responsible for the aftermath of negligence and neglect, including medical intervention and hospitalization, physical therapy, surgery, home nursing care and other expenses incurred by the patient and family. Your loved one is also entitled to be compensated for pain and suffering, diminished quality of life and other noneconomic damages. If your elderly family member died because of substandard care, we will pursue a wrongful death action to cover funeral costs and other applicable damages.
Why Choose Our Elder Abuse Attorneys?
- Sette & Parnoff has served Hamden and New Haven County for 50 years
- We are deeply familiar with local care facilities and the local courts
- We make house calls and hospital visits – our attorney can travel to you
- David Parnoff is a former insurance adjuster with first-hand knowledge of how nursing home and their insurers handle personal injury claims
- We offer a free consultation to explain your legal rights and remedies
If you even have the slightest suspicion that your loved one is being neglected or mistreated in a nursing home, you should not hesitate to retain legal counsel right away. Call our Hamden nursing home neglect attorney to relay your concerns. We can conduct a thorough investigation into the matter to see whether doctors, nurses, caregivers and other staff members acted negligently or abusively.
To learn more about the types of claims we handle, visit the following pages in our blog section:
- What To Do When Your Loved One Breaks A Bone In A Nursing Home
- When To File A Nursing Home Abuse Claim
- Overmedication In Nursing Homes: Part 1
- Overmedication In Nursing Homes: Part 2
- Fall-Down Injuries In Nursing Homes
- Assault In Nursing Homes
Seeking Justice On Behalf Of Your Loved One
Trust your instincts if your loved one has suffered an explained injury at a nursing home or if you suspect they are not getting proper medical care, supervision and assistance. When you contact our nursing home neglect lawyer in New Haven County, we will take prompt action to investigate and hold the facility accountable.
We are passionate about standing up for the elderly and other vulnerable members of our community. Please contact our firm online or call us at 203-490-4155. We have Spanish speaking staff and can travel to your home or the hospital for a FREE consult. We take cases on contingency fee basis — No Recovery, No Fee.
Some of our recent case results reflect the types of cases we take and the compensation possible.