Attorneys at Nursing Home Law News narrowly focus their practice on identifying and prosecuting nursing home misconduct whether it’s in the form of negligence or wrongful death.
In either scenario, we work with victims and their families to ensure they get the compensation and justice that they deserve. Though they might vulnerable and voiceless, they deserve protection no less.
In fact, it means that they need it even more. In order to help you understand the risks that they face and the troubles that they endure, we have compiled some Michigan nursing home verdicts and Michigan nursing home lawsuits that are emblematic of litigation in this field.
If you have questions about nursing home misconduct, then call us right away. We have a whole team of experienced nursing home lawyers that can answer all of your questions because we have represented countless residents. We have helped them and we can help you!
Every member of our team works tirelessly to protecting the rights of nursing home residents in Michigan and across the country. We don’t accept nursing facilities, hospitals, or others as clients because we don’t wish to compromise that work. And we never will!
In the pages that follow, we summarize a select set of Michigan nursing home verdicts and settlements. We do this to highlight why certain plaintiffs recovered what they did or why they did not recover more.
Generally, most nursing home lawsuits in Michigan are for one of a few things: abuse, bed sores, falls, or other kinds of negligence. However, if this misconduct leads to death then it will be an entirely different form of case.
When you read each of these summaries, try and analogize them to your incident in order to determine your possible success. If they don’t fit, then see where and how those differences came about in your accident.
When you do this, think about the following questions to help you isolate your cause of action even further:
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are about 16,000 nursing home facilities providing care to more than two million patients in the United States. About 70% of these facilities are for-profit businesses, and unfortunately nursing home abuse and neglect are relatively common.
Michigan ranks number 4 overall in a nationwide study of states that have the best protections for elderly citizens, but this doesn’t mean that abuse does not occur.
Nursing home abuse and neglect takes many forms:
This applies to any type of physical injury from intentional assaults, or negligent, excessive force when repositioning or moving patients.
Failure to keep living quarters, sheets, and clothes clean can cause infection and sickness, and poor patient monitoring may cause a medical condition to remain unchecked for a dangerous amount of time. A 50-year-old Michigan woman died in 2005 due to nursing home staff failing to replace her oxygen tanks. This neglect recently resulted in 18 felony counts for 8 former caregivers.
This can apply to any type of sexual misconduct, such as sexual battery, rape, or forcing a resident to view pornographic material.
Cluttered facilities, unmarked wet floors, and improper caregiver practices may also cause severe injuries from falls.
Patients requiring extensive bedrest or who struggle with limited mobility often require regular repositioning to prevent pressure ulcers.
Caregivers and nursing home staff must follow prescribing doctors’ instructions exactly and ensure proper administration of all patient medications.
The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services strongly encourages anyone who witnesses or suspects nursing home abuse or neglect of any kind to report it immediately to Adult Protective Services. If you visit an elderly loved one in a nursing home or notice any signs of abuse or neglect while visiting a nursing home, file a report immediately. Some of the most common signs of nursing home abuse and neglect include:
Hidden cameras captured evidence of multiple types of abuse to a Michigan man in a Detroit metro area nursing home. Video clips show physical and verbal abuse and have resulted in termination for all involved staff, as well as training for all other staff members.
In another example, a Michigan woman suspected neglect of her husband in the form of hunger, dehydration, and lack of clean, sanitary conditions. Her complaints reached the state Attorney General and resulted in a hidden camera investigation and the arrests of 4 staff members.
Many factors determine the value of a nursing home abuse or neglect lawsuit. Plaintiffs can claim compensation for economic damages like additional medical expenses and lost income from time spent caring for an abused or neglected loved one.
A lawsuit can also compensate the victim and his or her family for their pain and suffering. Other factors include the age and overall medical status of the victim, the conduct of the facility, and the nature of the abuse or neglect in question. Some examples of case values for different types of nursing home abuse and neglect claims include:
If you believe your loved one has suffered any kind of abuse or neglect in a Michigan nursing home, report the issue immediately and then contact us to learn more about your rights to recovery and how a lawsuit could help. Once we assess your individual case, we can determine the types of compensation available in your claim and the likelihood of succeeding with a lawsuit.
Resources:
For information on Michigan laws and regulations related to nursing homes, look at our page here.
If you are looking for information on a facility in a particular city or a local lawyer, please see pages below:
Attorney Robert Lantzy
Licensed in Michigan
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home