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Dedicated Birmingham Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
IF YOUR LOVED ONE HAS EXPERIENCED NEGLECT, CALL WETTERMARK KEITH FOR A BIRMINGHAM NURSING HOME ABUSE ATTORNEY.
The decision to place an elderly family member in the care of a nursing home is often the last choice for many families. Nobody wants to be the one making the choice to place their loved one in a Birmingham nursing home. You might feel an immense amount of fear about how a parent or grandparent will handle the move; you may feel a strange sort of relief or a weight lifted off your chest knowing that they’ll be receiving more professional care; you probably even feel worried that your loved one will think you view them as a burden to you and your family. In the end, however, you must ultimately come to terms with the fact that a nursing home is the only way for your loved one to get the care, attention, and resources they need to continue living a comfortable, healthy life in Alabama.
Nursing homes provide an essential service to the elderly throughout our country. In Birmingham, AL, there are some great facilities where nursing home residents enjoy living in the care of their experienced, friendly nursing home staff. Family members trust this staff to provide care that they can’t provide for loved ones by themselves. Nursing home care also offers opportunities for our loved ones to connect with others, bringing them a newfound sense of community. All too often, however, the people we trust betray our faith.
Sadly, there are a fair amount of circumstances when the residents of nursing homes experience abuse and neglect at the hands of the staff, resulting in serious, terrifying circumstances. In a nursing home, the negligence and outright misconduct of staff members can have disturbing results. Elder abuse in nursing home care can take many different forms, and each case is unique in its form and effects against the elder resident. Nursing home abuse may be verbal harm, physical abuse, sexual assault, or outright negligence of residents safety, needs, and wishes. And, while negligence may not always be malicious, it is certain to bring lasting harm on its victims. Victims of nursing home abuse can experience severe trauma, medical emergencies, or wrongful death.
No matter the type of abuse your loved one has suffered in an Alabama nursing home, their injury law case should be given the attention and care it deserves. Although these behaviors are prevalent, they are illegal, and if you have proof of abuse or suspect your loved one’s care facility of improper actions, you should take action immediately and find a nursing home abuse attorney in Birmingham.
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SIGNS OF NURSING HOME ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN NURSING HOME RESIDENTS
Nursing home abuse occurs when a nursing home resident suffers from an injury or neglect by a staff member in a nursing home or long-term living facility. An injury could be physical or emotional. Abuse can take many forms in a nursing home setting, from a staff member physically striking an elderly resident to stealing the resident’s valuables. Negligence of residents by nursing staff can also lead to medical emergencies, such as bed sores, dehydration, sepsis, or various other deadly instances. Instances of sexual abuse include unwanted occasions of sexual contact or sexual advances– with women and residents with Dementia being more likely to experience this kind of abuse.
Because you’re not always with your loved one, it can be difficult to know the nature of the neglect and abuse occurring, but there are a few signs you can watch out for:
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Dehydration or malnutrition
Withdrawn behavior
Head injuries
Infections
Broken or fractured bones
Bed sores
Hesitancy around workers
Unclean surroundings
Information hidden from the family by the facility
Heavy medication or sedation
Instances of wandering and/or sudden elopement
Failure to administer medication properly
Unusual or sudden changes in behavior
Frequent bruises or other minor injuries
Strap marks from unnecessary restraint
Forms of sexual assault or battery
Reluctance to speak in front of staff members
Wanting to be in isolation from others
Loved one mentions discussing money with staff
If you suspect that your family member has been subject to nursing home abuse, do not hesitate to protect your family and your loved one’s rights by contacting an attorney at Wettermark Keith right away about alleged nursing home abuse in Birmingham. The nursing home may owe you compensation for causing your family member’s physical injuries, illness, infection, health decline, mental anguish, emotional distress, financial losses, or wrongful death.
CONCERNS OF ABUSE OR INJURY IN THE CARE OF A BIRMINGHAM NURSING HOME
As indicated by their name, the Baby Boomer generation had the largest population influx in our country’s history; therefore, as they age into retirement, it is projected by the US Census Borough that almost 25 percent of the population will be 65 or older by the year 2060. Currently, in the Birmingham area itself, 12 percent of our local population are senior citizens. As this number goes up nationally, we can expect a local population increase as well. As our country’s elderly population grows, elder protection must become a topic of increasing concern in Birmingham.
Aging populations often experience a number of health issues related to chronic medical conditions that will cause them to need long-term support in the form of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Included in those illnesses that need long-term care are Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia, which are now some of the leading causes of death in older populations. Oftentimes, when diagnosed with these illnesses, family members have no choice but to place their loved ones in care facilities because the common household lacks the resources and time to give a patient with chronic illness the attentive, round the clock attention they need to stay on top of their condition. Since these medical conditions require more intensive care than others, they are causing a strain on the already overworked, understaffed healthcare industry, which makes resident injury by a frustrated staff member or neglect out of an employee’s lack of time even more likely.
With all of these factors taken into account, elder abuse may start to become more common. In a 2020 Alabama Health Assessment, there were almost 9,000 open cases of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation by the Alabama Department of Human Resources from the previous year. With the state being overwhelmed by its caseload, you must be sure to hire a lawyer who is able to focus on bringing justice to your loved one's case. More specifically, Birmingham's Jefferson County was in the top five counties in Alabama with the highest adult abuse case numbers, showing that the residents of Birmingham need to make it our duty to protect our elders from this horrid abuse. Therefore, when you decide to place your loved ones in a long -term care facility, you should create a step-by-step plan to follow to protect them in the event that they become victims of nursing home abuse.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT NURSING HOME NEGLECT
If a nursing home is not taking proper care of your loved one, or if one of its staff members is abusing him or her, your family might have a case against the nursing home. It might be hard to know the correct plan of action at such an emotional time. Therefore, in order to make sure your loved one gets the justice they deserve, you can follow these three detailed steps.
Step one: Remove your loved one from the abusive, negligent nursing home.
The most important thing to do in the beginning of this process is to take your loved one out of the nursing home and into a safe place. You can complete this move through various avenues: through independent means, through government or public health services, or by contacting an attorney at Wettermark Keith. Your first priority is their safety and health, and the only way to ensure their well-being during the investigative stage is to move them out of the nursing home in order to protect them from future physical and emotional injuries.
Step two: Report the nursing home to the authorities.
Next, you must report the nursing home to the authorities. You can call the government’s elder abuse hotline at 1-800-677-1116, 911, or the local police station’s direct phone line to report the incidents to authorities. Be prepared to describe the situation and answer a few brief questions about the incident. While it may be hard to recount the abuse of your loved one to a stranger, this is an important step, since it ensures that your story is on record.
Step three: Hire a nursing home abuse lawyer.
Finally, you need to hire a nursing home abuse lawyer in Birmingham. Nursing home abuse civil claims can be difficult to navigate alone, as unique and specific state and federal law applies to these circumstances. In fact, nursing homes often try to refute liability, claim that abuse never took place, or deny their part in any of the abuse by trying to blame it on an accident on the victims part. The insurance company additionally might try to limit your family’s recovery.
When you hire a lawyer, they can take care of all these issues for you while you focus on helping your elderly loved one recover, heal, and, most importantly, renew their sense of security. The best nursing home abuse lawyer for the job will set your case up to receive the greatest possible result of justice and financial compensation.
It is important to note that while the case is ongoing, it is crucial that you and your family are as cooperative as possible. Elder abuse lawyers should know about anyone who tries to contact you for information about the case, so you need to make sure to direct all communication through them for the best possible results.
WHY CHOOSE A WETTERMARK KEITH HOME ABUSE ATTORNEY OVER OTHER NURSING HOME ABUSE LAWYERS?
At Wettermark Keith, our nursing home abuse lawyers are passionate about putting an end to elder abuse in the Birmingham communities. We help families take stands against nursing homes whose staff members commit acts of physical or mental abuse, neglect, or other forms of misconduct against their residents.
Our local Birmingham attorneys and their associates will gather evidence and seek to bring about justice for your family. We want to make sure that all you have to worry about is your loved one and their recovery.
Wettermark Keith, with offices located throughout Alabama, Tennessee and now Florida, has an excellent reputation as one of the most accomplished personal injury firms in the country. Wettermark Keith’s reach is not only regional, but it also includes a diverse range of practice areas including nursing home abuse. At Wettermark Keith, we believe in taking cases personally. Our purpose is to practice with care and compassion- to tell our clients’ stories and make their voices heard. We do this by building strong relationships based on constant communication and an unwavering dedication to truth and trust. You should never wonder what’s going on with your case. We will keep you in the loop and represent you as if you are family- because to us, you are.
HOW MUCH WILL A NURSING HOME ABUSE ATTORNEY COST?
At Wettermark Keith, we respect you, even when you feel as if no one else does. Therefore, you won’t pay us anything until we get you and your family the compensation you deserve. If your attorney fails to win your case, you don’t pay us anything. After a successful case, any legal fees and associated costs will be collected from your winnings at the conclusion of the case. We operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning that our Birmingham clients are not charged unless we win their case. With our attorneys, you only have the potential of money to gain.
WETTERMARK KEITH: CALL OUR ELDER ABUSE LAWYERS IN BIRMINGHAM NOW
If you have any inclination that your elderly loved one is experiencing nursing home abuse in Birmingham, AL, speak out right away by contacting Wettermark Keith for an official investigation by one of our Birmingham nursing home abuse attorneys. Call us at (877) 715-9300 for a free consultation with one of our injury attorneys. You may also fill out our online form or chat with us online.
Disturbingly, elder abuse in nursing homes around the country happens more often than most families realize. Protect your loved one and hold the offender liable by reaching out to us as soon as possible for a free case review by an attorney or a free consultation with our law firm.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Nursing home abuse occurs when an abused elderly resident suffers from an injury or outright neglect by staff in a nursing home or long-term living facility. While a nursing home may try to blame these injuries on accidents, it is important to note that any type of physical abuse, emotional duress, sexual abuse, or outright negligence to the safety or health of a resident is abusive and against the law.
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