Bridgeport Connecticut Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

As the population ages every year, more families have to decide to place their elderly loved ones in a nursing home facility and entrust their care to the nursing home staff. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse cases in long-term care facilities have risen to worrying levels nationwide, and it’s no different in Bridgeport, CT.

The Bridgeport nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center, LLC have handled many cases where residents have suffered physical, emotional, and sexual elder abuse by their caregivers, including in the New Haven area.

Has your loved one suffered from emotional anguish, lack of quality care, or elder abuse while in a Bridgeport, CT nursing home? Let an affiliate nursing home abuse attorney from our law firm protect your family’s rights starting now.

Contact the Connecticut nursing home abuse attorneys at (800) 926-7565 to schedule a free, confidential consultation. We will explain how we can help you successfully resolve a claim for compensation to recover damages for your loved one’s injuries. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

When you place a disabled or elderly loved one in a nursing home or an assisted living facility, you expect them to receive proper care in a safe environment. It can be shocking and traumatic to discover when the nursing home fails your expectations and your loved one has suffered abuse and neglect.

Sometimes the warning signs of resident elder abuse are apparent when there is physical assault. Other times, evidence is less clear, like the emotional abuse elderly residents can suffer.

The following signs indicate that nursing home patients one is suffering from elder abuse or neglect:

• Bedsores
• Broken bones, fractures, and other injuries
• Bruises, burns, and welts on the skin
• Cuts, lacerations, and skin tears.
• Malnutrition and dehydration
• Uncleanness aspect of your loved one and their lodgings
• Sleep disorders
• Depression
• Head and dental injuries
• Infections

Physical abuse is the intentional use of physical force or coercion that results in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. Acts of physical abuse include but are not limited to:

• Hitting
• Beating
• Shoving
• Shaking
• Force-feeding
• Physical punishment
• Slapping
• Physical restraints

Physical abuse also embraces any unnecessary use of physical or chemical means to restrain or confine a patient.

Sexual abuse is the engaging of physical or sexual conduct with a nursing home resident that is neither consensual nor wanted. Sexual abuse can include unwanted touching on any part of the body, sexual assault, or sexual harassment of the nursing home resident.

Emotional abuse involves:

Infliction of anguish, pain, or distress through verbal and nonverbal acts

• Verbal assault
• Insults
• Threats
• Intimidation
• Social isolation
• Harassment

Typically, emotional abuse causes Depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders

Financial abuse involves having money and property taken improperly by nurses, nursing aides, doctors, employees, workers, visitors, family members, friends, or other residents.

Financial exploitation might involve:

• Diminished independence in later life
• Potential economic dependence
• Sudden changes in a will, family trust, or estate
• Unexplained disappearance of funds and valuable possessions
• A sudden transfer of assets
• Provision of unnecessary services like charging the patient for treatments they did not receive

Neglect can appear in many forms and is usually the omission of care and attention that patients need. Sometimes it happens on purpose. Other times it can be the result of overworked nursing home staff or insufficient caregivers for the necessary number of patients. Forms of neglect in assisted living facilities include:

Bedsores: Bedsores develop when a person spends long periods in a chair or bed with limited mobility, usually in elderly patients who can't move around independently. Signs of bedsores include:

• Reddened areas that are warm to the touch
• Discolored or painful skin
• Open wounds on one or more areas, including the hips, buttocks, back, ankles, toes, and elbows
• Open sores with exposed muscle, tendons, tissue, and bone

Bedsores are a sign of neglect because it is a severe indication that patients are not adequately cared for and monitored since bedsores can be preventable if residents are moved and checked regularly.

Dehydration and malnourishment: Our bodies need sufficient water and nourishment to survive. Patients who are not hydrated can develop frequent urinary tract infections and constipation.

A lack of nutrients makes pressure sores more likely to develop since tissues are not adequately protected. Any unexplained weight loss might indicate severe negligence caused by dehydration.

Inadequate medical care: Elderly people deserve proper attention when it comes to medical care. Common issues that establish inadequate medical care include:

• The nursing staff failed to administer the medication properly
• The patient receives the wrong dosage of medicine
• The nursing staff fails to notice physical ailments like infections or pressure ulcers
• The medical team does not pay close attention to the nursing home patient with diabetes

Every nursing home patient has legal rights and deserves the best medical care and careful attention to their needs.

Poor hygiene: Dirty clothes or bedsheets indicate that someone has not checked in on patients in a while, or they are checking in but not taking measures to care for your loved one. Common signs of poor hygiene include:

• Dry or cracked lips
• Stained clothing
• Body odor
• Unwashed hair
• Overgrown fingernails and toenails
• Soiled bedding
• Bedsores and pressure ulcers
• Unsanitary living environments

Unfortunately, some residents are more likely to be nursing home abuse victims than others. Some risk factors are:

• Chronic medical conditions and poor physical health
• Functional disability and dependence
• Mental health problems and cognitive deficits
• Financial dependence and lower socioeconomic status
• Prior exposure to trauma
• Limited social support from another loved one

Anyone involved in the abuse or neglect or aware of what is happening but does nothing to stop the situation can be legally liable for damages. Those who may be listed as defendants include:

• Owners, administrators, managers, and operators of nursing facilities
• Supervisors aware of the abuse who fail to take action
• Those involved in managing and hiring employees who participate in the abuse (they may have failed to run a background check)
• Employees, staff members, and other caregivers who come into the facility
• Other residents who are involved or are responsible for the abuse or neglect
• Family members and friends

Assuming all the other elements can be proved, the resident must also prove the specifics of the harm suffered.

Damages are typically intended to compensate the resident for any injury or abuse. There are several types of damages, including:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental distress and anguish
• Cost of necessary medical treatment.
• Physical therapy
• Emotional distress
• Price of home care or care at another facility
• Counseling services
• Burial and funeral costs in the event of wrongful death
• Fees your attorney may have incurred

In addition to compensatory damages, your loved one may also be awarded punitive damages. Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages are meant to punish a defendant and deter similar behavior against nursing home residents in the future.

Do you suspect that your loved one is suffering from nursing home abuse and neglect? You should act quickly. Take several steps to mitigate the situation and get your loved one to a safe space again.

Report the suspected abuse and call the authorities: If there is clear abuse or you believe your loved one is in immediate danger, call 911. In addition to protecting your loved one, when the police come to the scene, they can also help protect the other nursing home residents who may also be experiencing abuse. Law enforcement will make a report of what they find at the nursing home, which can be helpful later in your legal case.

Report to the Connecticut Department of Social Services: They develop social services and methods designed to respect the person’s rights and empower and protect individuals and families who are in a vulnerable situation.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in Connecticut protects the health, safety, well-being, and rights of individuals who reside in nursing, residential care homes, and assisted living facilities.

Take photos of anything you see that could be evidence: WIt is crucial to document any noticeable signs of abuse or malpractice.

Obvious signs of abuse might include unsanitary living conditions, such as a filthy room, or signs of physical abuse, like wounds on your loved one. If you have repeated concerns, you can also start a journal in which you document them, including anything your loved one mentions, marking the date and time of your entries.

Contact a specialized abuse and neglect attorney as soon as possible: Our lawyers will help you and your loved one understand your legal rights. We’ll discuss how you can keep your loved one safe and obtain compensation to help you and your loved one recover from the legal situation.

A competent legal team from our law offices will be with you throughout the legal process. You will never be alone when fighting the nursing home and abuser to ensure your family obtains justice and the compensation you deserve.

Our legal team will build a case on your loved one’s records, facility documents, staff records, and other evidence.

The affiliate lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center, LLC have represented many senior citizens victimized by nursing home staff and other residents at their care facilities.

Our team of dedicated, experienced nursing home abuse attorneys provides legal assistance to stop nursing facility neglect or abuse. Our specialized nursing home abuse law firm has handled many cases in the practice areas of mistreatment, emotional and mental anguish, and elder abuse in nursing homes. Our nursing home abuse lawyers serve clients in Bridgeport nursing homes and the New Haven area.

Our affiliate nursing home abuse attorneys are committed to aggressively fighting for your family’s rights. Contact our personal injury lawyers at our New York state abuse law firm today by calling (800) 926-7565 to schedule a free consultation for a nursing home neglect and abuse case review through a no-obligation.

All information you share with a nursing home abuse lawyer within our law offices remains confidential starting from your free consultation.

We provide immediate legal representation, legal help, and counsel without upfront fees. All our legal services are paid after your nursing home abuse lawyer negotiates an acceptable out-of-court settlement or wins your case at trial.

Resources:

• Connecticut Department of Social Services
• Connecticut Elderly Abuse Laws and Mandated Reporting