Learning that the caregivers designated to support your loved one have been abusing them is a tragic experience for all involved. The best solution is to act quickly to hold them accountable while getting your loved one to safety. If you don’t know where to start, our Las Vegas nursing home abuse lawyers can help you, beginning with a free consultation.
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Our Las Vegas personal injury attorneys have a track record of securing large monetary verdicts and settlements for our clients. Begin your journey to justice with a free consultation, or read on to learn how our firm plans to assist your case.
How to Proceed Following Abuse or Negligence at a Las Vegas Nursing Home
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that almost 16% of nursing home residents experience abuse. If you suspect or have discovered the abuse of a loved one in a nursing home, you should notify the authorities and contact a lawyer immediately. After reporting the abuse, be prepared for the following:
- After the police show up, they will start an investigation into the allegations of abuse and neglect.
- Make prompt contact with the nursing home’s administration if your loved one is not in immediate danger. This enables management to keep an eye on the caretakers for your loved one. Maintain complete documentation of this correspondence if you must sue them for negligence.
- Record every discussion you have with your loved one’s caregivers. Take pictures of any obvious wounds and any risks or circumstances contributing to the illness or injury. If there are any financial statements or receipts that seem to indicate financial abuse, keep them all.
- All medical expenditures incurred for treating psychological and physical problems brought on by nursing home neglect should be kept.
- To make a complaint, contact the Department of Health and Human Services Aging and Disability Services Division. You can report abuse to them online or by calling their Elder Abuse Hotline at (702) 486-6930.
- Make plans for your loved one to tour different facilities and be transferred. If DOH discovers proof of abuse or neglect, you’ll likely want to move your loved one to a different assisted living facility.
Speak with a skilled Las Vegas elder abuse attorney to help you navigate the challenges of bringing a claim. While you support your loved one through this difficult time, an attorney can speak up for them, hold the nursing facility responsible, and manage the case’s specifics.
Bringing Negligence Claims Against Las Vegas Nursing Homes
In addition to being held accountable for the deeds of their staff, long-term care facilities may also be held accountable for additional negligent activities that may have contributed to or permitted the abuse.
Some common allegations of care facility malpractice include the following:
- Negligent hiring of people who could be hazardous or unfit
- Insufficient training of employees
- Failing to give locals sufficient security
- Not keeping an adequate eye on employees, enforcing laws and regulations against mistreatment, or disciplining employees who break the rules.
- Failing to give the occupants the required food, water, shelter, medicine, or required medical attention
- Allowing risks or hazardous situations to persist in the assisted living facility, which could result in falls or other injuries
A care facility should be held accountable for any abuse, neglect, and injuries caused to its inhabitants if any of those mentioned above have taken place because it has not provided the level of care it should for all its residents.
Las Vegas Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me 310-844-9696
FAQ on Nursing Home Negligence in Nevada
As you decide how to move forward in pursuit of justice, we have provided responses to some of the most common questions we get regarding Nevada nursing home abuse.
What does Nevada Consider Nursing Home Negligence?
A wide range of behaviors or inadequacies that result in disease, damage, or death among nursing home patients are considered nursing home neglect. Both individual and administrative levels may be involved in these acts. Residents in nursing homes suffer in both scenarios.
The following are a few instances of care facility negligence:
- Intentional damage to one’s body or mind
- Residents not being given clean clothes
- Not providing residents with personal hygiene products
- Inadequate hydration and nutrition
- Failing to provide proper supervision of residents, leading to injury
- Permitting caregivers to mistreat or ignore residents
- Stealing goods or cash from locals
- Inadequate hiring and training procedures, such as not screening new staff members and carers
- Not responding to complaints or putting in place a suitable grievance procedure.
- Not granting access to necessary dental or medical services
- Neglecting to keep the surroundings tidy can result in inhabitants contracting bacterial and viral infections and illnesses
How Can I Tell Whether My Loved One Has Been Hurt by Negligence at a Nursing Home?
Many nursing home abuse victims keep their injuries a secret from others. Residents may find it difficult to speak or be unwilling to report their injuries for fear of facing retaliation, or they may be physically unable to communicate what has happened to them.
The easiest indicators of possible nursing home negligence are frequently physical ones. Those in the family and others may observe:
- Condition of their mattress
- Unnatural skin tone
- Weight loss
- Sunken eyes, which may be a sign of malnourishment and dehydration
- Cuts, welts, and bruises
- Bad personal hygiene, such as persistent bad breath, body odor, and dirty clothes
Among the behavioral indicators of abuse and neglect in nursing homes are:
- Worry or despondency
- Perplexity
- Bewilderment
- Social disengagement from everyday pursuits
- Speaking with hesitation or anxiety when nurses or carers are around
- Expressing opinions regarding suicide, death, or dying
While financial abuse of seniors in nursing homes does not result in bodily injury, it does inflict mental trauma and financial ruin on victims and their families. Therefore, you must be extremely vigilant about financial abuse or exploitation if you manage your elder’s finances. Some indicators of financial abuse to watch out for are:
- Missing checks, coins, or money
- Missing priceless items, like heirlooms or jewels
- Charges on credit or debit cards that don’t make sense
- Unauthorized address changes on bank or brokerage accounts
- Recently opened accounts that you or a loved one did not authorize
- Unexpected variations in the credit score of a loved one
Which Losses May I Recover on My Loved One’s Behalf Following Negligence at a Las Vegas Nursing Home?
Under Nevada law, your loved one may file a civil action against the person or people who caused the injury, the nursing home, their insurance company, and any other person directly accountable for the injuries.
Your Las Vegas nursing home abuse attorney will counsel you according to the specifics of your case. If the victim cannot file a lawsuit, another person may act on their behalf. Your loved one may be able to recoup the following losses if the plaintiff wins in court:
- Expenses of medical care and mental health services associated with maltreatment or neglect, such as hospital stays, drug treatments, physical therapy, x-rays, and behavioral therapy.
- Transfer costs to a different nursing home.
- If an accident or a chronic illness brought on by care facility negligence necessitates ongoing and future medical care.
- Damages for suffering—both mental and physical.
- Punitive damages when assisted living facilities or any of their staff members commit fraud, willful misconduct, or other serious negligence.
- Should your loved one’s death result from the carelessness of a nursing home, you may be eligible to pursue a wrongful death case. This will enable you to get compensation for funeral and burial expenses and the previously mentioned damages.
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Picking a Las Vegas Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near You
Once the abuse or neglect has been reported, consult a knowledgeable Las Vegas nursing home abuse lawyer. Arias Sanguinetti has the time and resources to handle these complicated situations quickly and privately.
Contact us today if you need free legal help regarding nursing home abuse in Las Vegas. Our firm welcomes the chance to demonstrate why so many local clients have chosen us to stand up for them during their most trying times. We provide vigorous and caring legal counsel to aggrieved parties throughout Nevada.
Call or text 310-844-9696 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
