Montgomery Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Protecting the rights of our Alabama senior citizens

We have hundreds of nursing homes and assisted living facilities scattered around the state, with many right here in Montgomery. Placing an elderly loved one into a nursing home can be a difficult decision, but necessary for many older people when their medical and day-to-day living needs can no longer be met. Our expectation for these homes and facilities is that they treat our loved ones with compassionate and professional care.

If a senior suffers injury due to a nursing home’s negligence or carelessness, the nursing home staff, management, or other entity can be found responsible. You and your family have legal options, as nursing homes owe a high duty of care to their residents. If your loved one was harmed due to neglect or carelessness at their elder home or facility, the personal injury attorneys at Mezrano Law Firm in Montgomery can work with you to hold the guilty parties accountable.

Montgomery nursing home residents have rights

Becoming a senior citizen or moving into a nursing home or assisted living facility doesn’t mean that someone loses their rights as a person. In fact, federal law provides nursing home residents certain rights, as outlined by Medicare.gov:

• “The right to be treated with dignity and respect.
• The right to be informed in writing about services and fees before you enter the nursing home.
• The right to manage your own money or to choose someone else you trust to do this for you.
• The right to privacy, and to keep and use your personal belongings and property as long as it doesn’t interfere with the rights, health, or safety of others.
• The right to be informed about your medical condition, medications, and to see your own doctor. You also have the right to refuse medications and treatments.
• The right to have a choice over your schedule (for example, when you get up and go to sleep), your activities and other preferences that are important to you.
• The right to an environment more like a home that maximizes your comfort and provides you with assistance to be as independent as possible.”

Understanding your loved one’s rights (or your own rights) is imperative – as imperative as understanding you have the right to fight back. Document your experiences with nursing home administration and consult with experienced nursing home injury and negligence lawyers to find out more about your options.

Types of nursing home neglect and abuse

As our senior population continues to grow, many elder care facilities find themselves understaffed and with too few nursing home workers with the proper training to care for our elderly loved ones. This increases the risk elderly residents can become victims of abuse or neglect.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about one in six people aged 60 years and older experienced some type of abuse in community settings in 2018. And, they report that rates of elder abuse are high in institutions like nursing homes, with two out of three staff admitting they had committed some type of abuse in the past year. This type of abuse and neglect occurs when doctors, nurses, staff or orderlies are negligent or careless, creating an unsafe environment for residents.

Types of nursing home abuse and neglect can include:

• Physical abuse. Physical abuse means using some kind of physical force on an elderly person that causes harm or physical pain. This can include striking, shoving, pushing, shaking, or otherwise hurting the victim, as well as force-feeding or using restraints. Physical abuse can also include sexual assault.
• Emotional abuse. This is inflicting mental pain and distress by verbal or nonverbal aggression. Emotional abuse could be insults, humiliation, intimidation or harassment. Your loved one may be isolated from activities, friends and family. Prolonged emotional abuse can cause long-term trauma.
• Financial abuse. Financial abuse is improperly – or illegally – using an elderly person’s financial assets. This could include taking cash, forging signatures, signing their checks, stealing possessions, or coercing them to sign important documents.

Our job is to ensure the negligent and guilty parties are brought to justice and your loved one is compensated for their injuries and losses.

Common Montgomery nursing home injuries

Elder abuse and neglect can result in some serious injuries. Families of senior citizens should keep an eye out for injuries like the following:

• Back and spinal injuries. These can happen from staff dropping a patient while moving them, or when a resident falls while not being properly monitored.
• Broken bones. Typically resulting from falls, the elderly can fracture and break bones easily due to osteoporosis. A lack of monitoring combined with messy or slippery floors can lead to broken hips or wrists. Broken bones can take a long time to heal, with risk of complications.
• Concussions and traumatic brain injuries. Many falls can lead to head injuries. Be alert to symptoms of head injuries, like confusion, cognitive difficulties and decreased levels of consciousness.

• Infections and bedsores. Infections are often the result of bedsores or poor hygiene. Even small infections in the elderly can quickly spiral out of control if not caught and treated quickly.

Pursuing compensation for nursing home injuries

If you believe your loved one has experienced neglect, abuse or even medical malpractice at their nursing home, elder care or assisted living facility, they may be eligible for financial compensation for their injuries and damages. When a nursing home fails to protect its residents because of a negligent or abusive staff member, caregiver or even another resident, it could be held liable for the victim’s injuries.

Possible compensation may include:

• Medical expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Disability
• Emotional distress
• Mental anguish
• Wrongful death

Personal injury matters like these are time sensitive. Contact our attorneys as soon as possible so we can protect your right to compensation.

Strong Montgomery nursing home injury lawyers

Mezrano Law Firm understands the devastation families experience after discovering their loved one has experienced neglect or abuse. Our nursing home injury attorneys will stand up for your family member’s rights and ensure they receive the protection and the financial compensation they deserve. Call us today at 205-206-6300 or fill out our contact form to set up a consultation at our Montgomery office.