JR Law Firm | Nursing Home Negligence

When to Contact a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

The Authorities

The first people you need to contact are the authorities. If there is abuse going on, don't kid yourself, your loved one is in very real danger. The abuse may not be physical as far as you're aware, but that doesn’t mean that you're informed about the entire situation. A doctor's examination may be required to determine the exact extent of the abuse if your loved one is incapable of communicating coherently on their own, such as in the case of dementia. It may take a while for them to be able to speak it if they're all there cognitively.

The state may or may not shut down the facility, depending upon the extent of the abuse. They may even want to set up sting operations or take other measure to catch someone in the act. You may also consider talking to the administration of the facility but, if the entire facility is incompetent, they may not act in any substantial way to end the abuse.

Contacting a Lawyer

Contacting a lawyer to file a civil suit against the facility is the final step in addressing the issue. You need to make sure that your loved one is out of the abusive situation or that the people responsible for it are terminated from their positions at the nursing home.

You may end up filing a lawsuit against the nursing home for negligence. Obviously you're going to want to move your loved one to a different facility, as well. This can be very expensive, but it's best to take this step for their peace of mind. Your lawyer will work with you to come up with a realistic figure for the lawsuit. This may seem like a tough thing to do, and it is, but they use past precedent and your specific situation to come up with a figure to seek from a jury award. The nursing home may also offer to settle with you.