It's possible that your loved one is being abused at their nursing home but you aren't sure what you can do to ensure you protect them from it and to potentially receive compensation for any neglect they have suffered. While it doesn't happen all the time, elder abuse in a nursing home can happen and it can leave loved ones feeling helpless.
There are legal avenues you can take to help protect your loved one and to prove they are being neglected or abused. Your first step should be to contact a nursing home neglect lawyer as soon as possible. They can help you build your case and get justice for your loved one.
Here are some ways a nursing home neglect lawyer can prove your loved one was neglected.
Speak With People Who May Know What's Happening
Once you hire a nursing home neglect lawyer they will sit down with you to discuss what you saw when you visited your loved one and why you believe they are being neglected. They will ask you detailed questions to get the most information they can from you. This is the first step of gathering evidence they can use in court to help you win your case.
Your lawyer can sit down and talk to your loved one if they are able to express themselves in a coherent manner and find out what has been going on. They can also talk to potential witnesses including roommates, other visitors who have noticed the neglect, staff, and doctors. They can also talk to other family members about what they have noticed during their visits.
Your lawyer can find out if there have been any changes in your loved one's behavior, notice any neglect in their hygiene or nutrition, and more.
They can also speak to former employees of the nursing home to find out if the staff there have a history of neglect, or perhaps if they witnessed the neglect to your loved one before they left.
Review Records
Your nursing home neglect lawyer can also take a look at several different types of records to help determine if the neglect has been happening on an ongoing basis. They can look at inspection reports from the state and see if there have been any complaints or other lawsuits brought against the home. They can look for any federal or state regulation violations in the staff's treatment of residents.
Also your lawyer can look at medical reports of your loved one, should you agree to it, to find any errors or if your loved one's health has deteriorated since living in the nursing home. This could be a sign of neglect especially if any known illness they already have has not progressed.
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