The greater Houston metro area is home to dozens of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, most of which provide compassionate care to every one of their residents around the clock. Unfortunately, it only takes one staff member acting irresponsibly at one such facility to put a resident at risk of serious and even life-threatening harm. You and your family may be experiencing this right now and are in need of confident guidance.
No amount of abuse or neglect inside a nursing home should ever be tolerated, and you may have grounds to file suit against the responsible party, with help from a seasoned personal injury attorney. When you believe a family member has been abused or neglected by the people entrusted with caring for them, you should make it a priority to discuss your legal options with a Baytown nursing home abuse lawyer.
While abuse inside nursing homes is sometimes as obviously malicious as a staff member physically striking a resident or verbally berating them, most abusive and neglectful actions in these facilities are unfortunately much more subtle. A resident who is experiencing physical, psychological, financial, or even sexual abuse may not show many or any signs that something is wrong, and they may additionally be unwilling—or cognitively unable—to tell family members and friends about what they are going through.
With this in mind, it is important for family members of nursing home residents to be diligent and attentive when visiting with their loved ones, and to follow up with nursing home staff members about anything that feels abnormal. If small injuries, sudden changes in personality or mood, unsanitary living conditions, or anything else problematic continues to be a problem without nursing home staff doing anything about it, it may be time to discuss legal action with a Baytown nursing home abuse attorney.
Family members should be on the lookout for bed sores, bruises, unexplained financial transactions, personality changes, and uncharacteristic feelings of fear when certain people are in their presence.
It is worth emphasizing that even if nursing home abuse or neglect is demonstrably occurring, filing a civil suit against the people responsible for that mistreatment will not necessarily be the first or best course of action to resolve the issue. If your loved one has been mistreated but has not suffered physical harm from it, the best strategy may just be to move that resident out of the facility and report the facility to local and state-level regulatory authorities. This can be done with further guidance from a nursing home neglect lawyer in Baytown.
If abuse or neglect has resulted in injuries, though, the resident themselves or family members acting on their behalf may have grounds to demand civil compensation for any and all negative effects of those injuries. This could include both economic damages like medical bills and personal property damage, and non-economic damages like physical pain and psychological distress. An attorney helps a family identify the damages that could be included.
Of course, financial compensation alone cannot completely erase the trauma that abuse or neglect by nursing home staff members can cause for affected residents. What it can do is minimize the long-term repercussions of that mistreatment, as well as help achieve some measure of justice for the harm that was done.
A Baytown nursing home abuse lawyer could explain your rights and possible legal options in more detail during a confidential consultation. Schedule yours by calling today. Your loved one and your family should not bear the financial burden of nursing home mistreatment.
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