Contact our nursing home abuse lawyers today if your loved one was harmed by negligent or abusive staff members.
Schedule a free consultation to discuss the merits of filing a compensation case.
The United States Congress enacted federal laws to ensure that nursing home residents are treated with the dignity, respect, and care they deserve.
The 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act protects residents rights, including the right to:
According to Medicare-collected data, there are currently 304 nursing homes rated in Oklahoma monitored by the federal agency through inspections, investigations, and surveys.
Of these, 104 (thirty-four percent) Oklahoma nursing facilities are rated below the national average because investigators found severe violations and deficiencies that led to resident harm and wrongful death.
The elderly and disabled often resist moving into a nursing facility because historically, society looks at an "old folks' home" as a place to go die. However, the care provided in a long-term care facility might be precisely what someone you love needs to survive.
The nursing staff will continuously monitor the patient's health, administer medications according to doctor's orders, and assist with meals and personal hygiene.
A caregivers' home is a challenging environment requiring residents to give up their privacy in exchange for continuous care.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, the common signs associated with elderly abuse include:
Nearly every state's legislative body has enacted filial support laws requiring a parent's adult children to provide financial support if they can not care for themselves.
An adult child will likely need to pay their parents' medical bills, including the cost of assisted-living facilities.
The child must ensure that the parent receives sufficient shelter, clothing, food, and medical/health care.
That said, Oklahoma does not currently have a finial support law holding children legally responsible for providing their parents necessities when they cannot do so without assistance.
While many families want someone they love to receive the best care in a safe environment, it might be challenging to convince a reluctant parent or spouse to relocate.
Many individuals will outrightly refuse to go even if it is in their own best interests to support their health and well-being.
Tension among family members could rise quickly if the parent or spouse has Alzheimer's disease or dementia and resists relocating. Some spouses and adult children use "compassionate deception" to convince someone you love to try the facility out for a limited time, like a week or a month, to "see" if they like.
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), nearly two million American adults are abused and mistreated every year at home and in nursing care facilities.
Those most at risk of mistreatment include:
Adult children and spouses could take steps to reduce the chances of a loved one being mistreated in a nursing facility by routinely visiting them in their room or common areas.
Families should also ensure that the facility has effective monitoring systems, provides routine employee training, and staff follows established institutional procedures and policies on patient care.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, typical examples of neglect and abuse in nursing facilities could include:
Do you suspect that an individual is being abused or neglected in an assisted living facility? Any suspected mistreatment should be reported to appropriate authorities in Oklahoma.
Filing a report of nursing home neglect or abuse is vital to protect the victim. All too often, residents suffer additional harm if others fail to file a report.
Nursing home workers might believe that they will not be caught abusing or neglecting a resident, so they continue to engage in these heinous acts until a report is finally filed.
Understanding your loved one's legal rights in a nursing facility allows you to act quickly when necessary.
Knowing state and federal revelatory laws ensures that you will not be persuaded that staff members might not be abusing your loved one when they are.
Trust your gut when a loved one complains about harm or shows physical signs of abuse or neglect. Take action to file a report so that you can know everything was done to protect the legal rights of your loved one.
Attorneys can provide you with OK nursing home information and help you resolve your legal issues. Our injury attorneys are available to investigate any claims of abuse or neglect.
Our legal team has experience in dealing with the nursing facility staff workers and administrators. Your injury lawyer can empower you during this challenging situation.
Our nursing home negligence lawyers are available to help residents throughout the state of Oklahoma in areas such as:
Are you unsure how to proceed in filing a report of abuse, mistreatment, or neglect about an Oklahoma City nursing home?
Speak with a nursing home abuse lawyer in Oklahoma City OK and throughout Oklahoma to learn more.
Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions that people ask of a nursing home abuse attorney:
A nursing home resident may experience a number of different types of abuse. Your loved one may encounter:
You should contact adult protective services if your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse.
This does not diminish your ability to file a lawsuit. Experienced nursing home abuse attorneys can evaluate your situation and advise you of your legal rights and options. Contact our team today for a free consultation.
Nursing home neglect is a common reason for a lawsuit. Instances of neglect include:
Call us if your family member has been injured by the failure to provide the appropriate care during an admission to a nursing home.
This all depends on the harm that your loved one has suffered and the actions of the nursing home staff. Each nursing home abuse claim is valued differently.
Some factors in the overall award would include:
The Oklahoma City nursing home abuse attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center can help families with loved ones who were abused or neglected.
Our law firm will help you file a lawsuit against the care facility where your family member was injured.
If you see signs of nursing home abuse, call our phone number today at (800) 726-9565 today for a free consultation.
Once we begin the attorney-client relationship, we can provide you with legal advice about your claim.
Here are some places where you can contact for help and emergency assistance:
Pressure wounds develop in areas with restricted blood flow caused by the patient's body weight pushing against a pad, chair, or mattress. Restricting blood flow minimizes oxygen delivery to the skin and underlying tissue.
Deprivation of oxygen to the affected area injures the skin's dermis and epidermis layers that could start to die or be permanently damaged.
Our long-term care facility negligence attorneys currently represent individuals and families in lawsuits against facilities where a pressure sore developed or worsened. We handle our nursing home abuse cases on a contingency fee basis where we only charge for our legal fees when there is a financial recovery for you.
Complete the contact form here for a free case review.
The nursing staff must alleviate the pressure at the first signs of developing bedsores. Within days, the wound can heal entirely with ongoing care.
However, if the area is left unattended, it can quickly decline to an advanced stage where a small crater develops, exposing fat deposits. Any developing crater could decline to a life-threatening stage causing the area to become susceptible to skin infections (sepsis) or bone infections (osteomyelitis).
At its most critical stage, the crater deepens to expose bone and muscle below. Without effective antibiotics, the patient can quickly die from a compromised immune system.
Performing routine skin inspections could eliminate all advancing stages of developing pressure wounds. Doctors treating decubitus ulcers use various procedures, including debridement where the dead or dying tissue is cut away from the wound.
Most facility-acquired pressure wounds are caused by negligence. With proper treatment, the wound could have easily been prevented or not allowed the opportunity to progress to a crucial stage.
When caregivers routinely adjust the patient's body every two hours or less, the potential of developing a bedsore is nearly eliminated. Successful nursing homes with a good track record usually follow scheduled turning and readjusting protocols for every mobility-challenged patient.
Unfortunately, many bedridden and individuals who use wheelchairs are unable to reposition themselves without assistance.
Nearly all pressure ulcers are preventable, and any sign of a loved one suffering a bedsore is typically an indicator of negligence by the medical team. Negligence is often the result of improperly trained staff members not following proven protocols to minimize the potential of developing a sore.
Many families with a loved one suffering from a pressure sore are proactive and will hire an Oklahoma nursing home abuse attorney to stop the negligence immediately.
Our Oklahoma negligence law firm can provide family members with numerous legal options to seek financial compensation for damages, report what happened to proper authorities, and hold the nursing home accountable. The lawyers can also send medical personnel into the nursing facility to properly treat the patient's life-threatening condition.
Our team provides legal services in cities throughout the state, including:
Fill out the form here to contact an Oklahoma pressure ulcer attorney from the list below. These law firms accept nursing home negligence cases on contingency and provide legal services to help stop the abuse and assist families seeking financial compensation for damages.
Our attorneys follow social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus).
Did you notice any signs of nursing home abuse involving your loved one? Take the first step now to open a personal injury case.
In the case of a minor under age twelve, the parent or guardian must bring suit on behalf of the minor within seven years after the malpractice. If the minor was injured at age twelve or older, the plaintiff has until one year after turning eighteen to file suit. (Okla. Stat. Ann. Title 76, §18; Okla. Stat. Ann. Title 12, §96)
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