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Sumter, SC Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
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    Sumter, SC Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

    If you believe your loved one was abused in a nursing home, there are immediate steps to take.  While working to get them to safety, document everything and speak with a lawyer about what legal action you can take and what kinds of evidence you will need to bring a case.

    Your loved one is entitled to justice for the injuries and abuse they suffered, and our attorneys will stop at nothing to get you that justice.  This also typically involves financial compensation for their injuries and other expenses related to the abuse.

    For help with your case, call Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers’ nursing home abuse lawyers right away at (803) 451-4000.

    What to Do if You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

    Maybe it was something your loved one said that tipped you off.  Maybe it was bruising or unexplained injuries.  In any case, if you suspect abuse, you should take the following steps:

    Call a Lawyer

    The earlier you get us on your side, the earlier our nursing home abuse lawyers can guide you through your options, what reports need to be made, what rights you have to pull your loved one out of the nursing home, and what evidence you have the right to gather.

    Document Everything

    Take photos of any bruises or injuries you notice.  Ask your loved one about the injuries and what happened, and note down what they say.  Also consider asking for other records, such as any records from your loved one’s call bell or nursing staff duty rosters.

    Get Medical Attention

    If your parent or grandparent has injuries that need to be treated, get them to a hospital.  There, doctors can make sure that they are okay and create a record of any further injuries.

    Sometimes, elder abuse involves broken bones and internal injuries that you cannot see or treat on your own, and a trip to the hospital might be the only way to get your loved one on the road to recovery.

    Report the Abuse

    Both the state and any nursing home or hospital should have procedures for reporting abuse.  This will require them to go through their own investigative steps and hopefully prevent further abuse or abuse of other patients.

    However, you should have a lawyer on your side during these investigations to make sure the institution is not hiding or covering up the abuse.

    Seek Safety

    Get your loved one to a safe place.  This might mean seeking assurances from their current nursing home that extra care will be taken to put abusive staff on leave or to make sure your loved one’s care is monitored, or it might mean pulling them out of that institution and taking them home with you or to another institution temporarily.

    If they need to stay at the hospital for treatment, this might give you sufficient time to research another nursing home to move them into.

    Types of Nursing Home Abuse

    Nursing home abuse can come in many forms, and many of them can form the basis for a lawsuit.

    Physical Abuse

    Physical abuse in a nursing home often involves bruises and injuries that the abusive staff can pass off as accidental.  This is typically only possible when institutions fail to properly monitor and train their staff, allowing abuse to slide.

    Neglect

    Leaving a nursing home resident without the care they need can result in worsened health conditions if they go untreated, severe weight loss, starvation, and illness from being left in unhygienic environments.  These also result in physical harm that can be compensated in most cases.

    Sexual Abuse

    Sexual abuse is a form of physical abuse and often requires medical care.  However, it can often have much worse mental effects.

    Verbal and Mental/Emotional Abuse

    Even without touching a patient, nursing home staff might still abuse them.  Verbal abuse and mental or emotional abuse can be just as impactful and make it harder for your loved one to flourish in their environment.

    Financial Abuse

    Stealing from older adults is a common scam, as they are often more vulnerable and have resources like pensions, savings, and Social Security checks that might not be monitored by family members who would notice the missing money.

    FAQs for Nursing Home Abuse Claims in Sumter, SC

    When Should I Call a Lawyer?

    Call our attorneys as soon as you can.  We can start representing you and help you understand your options to protect your loved one and seize evidence the nursing home might try to hide or destroy.

    How Do I Get Access to Records and Evidence the Nursing Home Has?

    Nursing homes are not typically allowed to give you your parent or grandparent’s records or their internal records – or they will claim they are not allowed to do so.  It often takes a court order after we file our claim in court to get access to these records.

    In the meantime, we can send letters notifying them of our intent to sue and demanding they turn over relevant evidence now or at least preserve it.  After that, if they destroy or hide evidence, we have more power to obtain it through court orders or have the courts presume the destroyed evidence would have cut against the nursing home.

    What Damages Can I Claim?

    Injury cases typically involve medical bills to treat the injuries, lost wages (which typically do not apply to nursing home residents), and pain and suffering.  There may also be other consequential costs, such as the cost of hiring additional aides or even moving your loved one to a different (potentially more expensive) facility.

    Any economic damages and pain and suffering from the abuse can be claimed.

    Do You Sue the Nursing Home or the Staff Member?

    Most cases will involve a claim against the nursing home and the staff member.  The nursing home can be held responsible for what its employee did while working within the scope of their duties, potentially including negligence and abuse.

    Call Our Lawyers for Nursing Home Abuse in Sumter, SC Today

    Call the nursing home abuse attorneys at Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers at (803) 451-4000.

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