WILKES-BARRE NURSING HOME ABUSE LAWYER

When placing a loved one in a nursing home or long-term care facility, you put your faith and trust in that person’s care in the hands of the staff. It is their responsibility to care and protect your loved one from any harm. Unfortunately, that trust is broken every day as your loved one soon becomes a victim of neglect and abuse.

When you suspect that your loved one has been either abused or neglected by the staff of a nursing home facility, you have the right to seek justice. Our Wilkes-Barre nursing home lawyer at Caputo & Mariotti will relentlessly fight on your loved one’s behalf to make sure this never happens again. Our goal is to not only get your loved one compensation but to make sure the people and facility responsible can never let this happen again.

What Causes Nursing Home Abuse in Wilkes-Barre?

Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is more common than many believe. According to the World Health Organization, around 1 in 6 people 60 years and older have experienced some form of abuse in community settings within the last year. Approximately 2 in 3 staff members report that they have committed abuse and some studies have shown that only 53% of these incidents are reported.

But what causes cases of neglect? There are several causes, but the most common cause is understaffing. The Covid-19 pandemic has opened America’s eyes to the crisis of understaffing in nursing homes. The ratio of nurse’s aides to patients is 1:15 and can go as high as 1:30. This far exceeds the recommendation of 1:3 during meal times and 1:6 during non-meal times.

As you can imagine, understaffing can lead to several other problems such as:

• Inadequate training or inexperienced staff
• Underpaid and overworked employees
• Poor supervision by management
• Lack of accountability
• An increase in risk factors for residents
• Other caregiver issues

What is the cause of understaffing? There are various reasons but the number one reason is cost. Labor costs can be extremely high for nursing home facilities whereas the profit margin is low. To turn a profit, these facilities must keep a small staff of overworked aides and nurses.

What Are The Signs of Nursing Home Negligence?

Before you can prove abuse, you need to know the legal definition of negligence. Negligence occurs when a person or organization fails to provide a service or care to prevent harm from occurring.

Unfortunately, many of these signs can easily go unnoticed or may be dismissed as signs of old age. However, a few telltale signs include:

• Unexplained broken bones, bruising or scarring
• Bedsores
• Malnutrition and dehydration
• Emotion withdrawal
• Lack of personal hygiene
• Physical discomfort
• Unusual weight loss

It can be difficult to get to the bottom of these injuries because the loved one may feel either ashamed to come forward, or anxious that no one will believe their story. Therefore, it’s up to you to keep an eye on the nursing home resident and seek a consultation with an experienced Wilkes-Barre nursing home abuse lawyer to see what your next steps should be.

How to Report Nursing Home Abuse

If you believe your loved one is suffering abuse, you have several legal options available to stop the abuse and prevent it from happening again.

Before taking any steps, make sure you speak with your family member to make sure abuse is occurring. This can be a difficult conversation and your loved one may deny the abuse, even if the signs are present.

If after speaking with your loved one and you still suspect or know abuse is occurring in the home, try speaking with the staff or administrators and let them know what you suspect. The facility should have a grievance resolution procedure in place that you can follow. You may want to remove your loved one from the facility, especially if the abuse is still occurring.

Remember that nursing home abuse is a crime. You can file a concern or complaint with the state to look into the matter. Click here to learn how to file a complaint or concern with Pennsylvania.

Finally, your next option is to contact a nursing home lawyer in Wilkes-Barre to hold the nursing home accountable for the abuse.

Why Choose Our Wilkes-Barre Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer?

With over 55 years of experience, Caputo & Mariotti has been fighting for the rights of nursing home residents throughout the Wilkes-Barre area. We understand the difficulties these cases can be; this is why it’s important to have an experienced, well-skilled legal team of nursing home abuse attorneys on your side.

We will hold not only those who are abusing your loved one accountable, but also make sure the nursing home facility is held responsible for its employee’s actions. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to hear your claim and provide legal options so you know exactly what comes next.