Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL Helping Fight Nursing Home Negligence in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
When placing loved ones in a Florida nursing home, families expect that the home will provide an acceptable standard of care at the minimum. If the nursing home neglects or abuses its residents, it’s possible to sue the home by working with expert West Palm Beach nursing home negligence lawyers.
Like many other states, Florida has a long history of poor nursing home quality of care. One study by the World Health Organization revealed that 2 in 3 nursing home staff admitted to committing abuse in the past year, while 12% said they neglected residents.
However, the blame for this often falls on the hidden companies that operate nursing homes on shoestring budgets. Many of the homes are understaffed, with many of the staff underpaid and poorly trained. When these facilities fail to uphold the required standard of care, you can sue them and win a settlement if your loved one suffered in West Palm Beach.
Suing for Nursing Home Negligence and Abuse in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
Placing a loved one in a nursing home is a tough decision, but often the only one available. But when you do, you don’t expect the home to neglect or abuse its residents in any way. Unfortunately, negligence is common, with some residents even experiencing abuse. That includes:
- Failure to care for bedridden patients, resulting in bedsores
- Dehydration and malnutrition
- Unexplained injuries
- Assault
- Lack of personal care such as hygiene and grooming
- Poor supervision resulting in falls, choking, patients attacking one another
- Wrong medication
Some nursing homes also use excessive physical or chemical restraints, especially on residents suffering from conditions such as dementia and schizophrenia.
Signs of Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home residents are some of society's most vulnerable members. They’re often unable to stand up for themselves, so it’s vital that we protect them and do something about negligent nursing homes and care providers.
Some of the most common signs of nursing home negligence include:
- Severe unexplained weight loss and dehydration
- Soiled or torn clothing
- Dirty facilities
- Unexplained injuries
- Infections, sores, and undressed wounds
- Poor security and inattentive staff
- Mood and behavior changes, especially anxiety, depression, and withdrawal
- Worsening medical conditions
- Missing money and valuables
Nursing homes are good at covering up signs of poor treatment and negligence, so it’s important that you be on the lookout. If you suspect ill-treatment towards a loved one in a nursing home, it may help to work with West Palm Beach nursing home negligence lawyers.
Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse is different from negligence because it’s almost always intentional. Like negligence, it’s a common result of understaffing and hiring of untrained, incompetent, and underpaid staff.
Abuse can be emotional or physical. The most common examples include medical abuse, theft, sexual abuse, insults, demeaning comments, threats of violence, and even death. If a loved one has experienced any kind of negligence or abuse at a nursing home, work with our nursing home abuse attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL, today to get them justice and compensation.
How to Sue Nursing Homes for Negligence in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
Lawsuits against nursing homes in Florida have become so common that they’ve developed protections against liability. For starters, most nursing homes have liability insurance with teams of lawyers working to defend them.
Nursing homes may also trick you into signing arbitration agreements, meaning you have to resolve disputes behind closed doors usually with an arbiter of their choosing. This imbalance of power, in addition to the challenges of proving and litigating such a case, means you should only work with the most experienced West Palm Beach nursing home negligence lawyers.
Depending on your loved one’s admission paperwork and the circumstances, you have several options available. You can report the abuse to the police, contact adult protective services, file a complaint with the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA/NCAL), or file a lawsuit.
If you decide to file a lawsuit, you must first notify the defendants of your intention to sue as required by Florida Statutes. You must also conduct an investigation to establish your case, which can be difficult. Your lawyer will help you take the next steps to help you file a strong case.
How to Win Nursing Home Negligence Lawsuit in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
To give your lawsuit the best chance of winning, it’s important to collect as much evidence as possible. Nursing home employees are required by law to record and report any signs of abuse, but they don’t always do that. So, it falls upon you and your lawyer to conduct in-depth investigations.
Examples of the evidence required to prove negligence include photos and videos, medical records, police reports, and witness accounts. Expert opinions from medical professionals can also help to strengthen your case.
Most nursing home negligence cases are complex, requiring multiple experts and hundreds of hours of work to prepare and litigate. Working with skilled and experienced nursing home abuse attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL, gives you the best chance of winning the lawsuit.
Choose the Best Nursing Home Negligence Lawyers in Palm Beach County
The lawyers at Domnick, Cunningham & Yaffa are some of the most distinguished and experienced personal injury lawyers in Palm Beach County. We have extensive experience in litigating nursing home negligence cases, and we have won multi-million dollar settlements for our clients while at it.
To get started, we’ll review your case to free and help you figure out how to win your case and get justice for your loved one. Talk to us today and get the best lawyers working on your case.