Morgantown West Virginia Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

As the population ages every year, more people face the difficult decision to place their elderly family member in a Morgantown, WV, nursing facility and entrust their health and dignity to the nursing home staff. Sadly, Morgantown nursing home abuse cases have risen to grossly high levels nationwide, and it’s no different in Morgantown, West Virginia.

The Morgantown, WV nursing home abuse & neglect lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center, LLC have handled many cases where a patient was the victim of physical abuse, personal injury, and neglect.

Have your elderly or disabled loved one suffered emotional anguish due to lack of quality care, elder abuse, or neglect while in a Morgantown, WV, nursing home? Let our affiliate West Virginia personal injury lawyers seek justice for your loved ones starting now.

Contact the Morgantown nursing home abuse lawyers at (800) 926-7565 to schedule a free case evaluation. We will explain how we can help you successfully resolve a claim for the compensation you deserve to recover damages for your abuse and neglect. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through attorney-clients relationships.

As a vital part of keeping our loved ones safe, it is essential to always pay attention to indications of abuse in nursing homes.

While it is true that falls are common in a nursing home setting among elderly residents, keeping an eye out for a pattern of repeated injury is essential to ensuring that our loved ones are not suffering. Nursing home abuse takes on many forms, with some signs less evident than others.

They may include:

• Unexplained injuries, such as bruises, cuts, and burns
• Broken bones with no known cause
• Emotional changes
• Being scared of particular residents or staff members
• Complaining about treatment from staff members
• Untreated bedsores or other wounds
• Frequent illnesses or infections
• A sudden personality change unrelated to a medical condition
• Bruises or other signs of sexual abuse around the breasts and genitals
• Fear or avoidance of a particular person
• Chronic and untreated bedsores
• Soiled clothes or sheets and other hygiene issues

Nursing home neglect is abuse committed against elderly residents in nursing homes. Neglect involves poor care or breaches of duty that causes suffering to a resident.

The disabled, impaired, and elderly have a high risk of falling, especially in nursing facilities. Nursing home employees must supervise residents who ensure they do not fall, especially those with cognitive issues, physical limitations, and declining health.

Frequent false is often an indicator of elder abuse or neglect. Failing to protect the resident again slipping and falling could lead to wrongful death.

Administering the wrong medication or at the wrong dose can create serious health hazards. Sometimes, the medication error involved giving the resident the wrong medication or through the wrong route (orally instead of intravenously).

Medication errors are often a sign of improperly trained nursing staff. Taking the wrong medication could lead to a severe health condition without correction.

Medication administration mistakes include:

• Crushing medication that should be swallowed whole
• Not supplying the medicine with food or water
• Using the improper dosage or delivering the medication at the wrong time
• Giving the patient a drug that has expired
• Overmedicating the patient to control or sedate them

Signs that you can suspect that your loved one has been receiving incorrect medication include changes in their behavior, unexplained rapid changes in their weight, confusion, memory loss, and lethargy.

It is essential to do your homework and research carefully the best care home for your loved relative since their health and quality of life is on the line.

The National Institute on Aging describes how to choose a nursing home and gives these suggestions to make sure that the institution is up to your standards and provides adequate care to their clients:

• Find the Best Homes in the Area: Many families must make the unenviable decision to place a loved one in a long-term care facility. Finding the best one can be challenging; ensuring it is in a good location, provides the best care, and can accommodate their loved one’s needs. Many communities have multiple facilities that offer different levels of care, likely one that would fit the family member’s needs.
• Visit the Facilities: Perhaps the most crucial advice. One should not make a decision based on an online search alone. By visiting the nursing homes, you can see firsthand if they’re clean and how they treat their clients.
• Ask Questions at the Visits: Be sure to ask questions on your visits. Talk to patients' families to ask about their experiences with the facility.
• Search the Facility Online: Perform a thorough search on the internet about the place. You should look for their ranking online at Medicare.gov to determine if it’s safe or provides adequate care to its residents.
• Carefully Read Your Contract: Before signing all the paperwork, it is essential that you read the extent of the contract and, if necessary, contact a lawyer to answer any questions.

You can give your loved one the best chance of receiving excellent care if you file the above procedures.

Our Morgantown nursing home abuse attorneys have reviewed many cases of community nursing facilities where caregivers, visitors, employees, and others mistreated male and female residents. Do you suspect nursing home abuse or neglect in your loved one’s facility? Taking the steps below can stop the mistreatment of those who suffered harm.

Call the police if there is clear nursing home abuse: Call the police immediately if you suspect someone is the victim of nursing home abuse and neglect. Moving the victim away from additional harm is crucial. Local law enforcement will follow protocols to help the victim and hold the nursing center and abuser accountable.

Have an honest conversation with your loved one about the situation: Ideally, you should speak to your family member An encourage an open dialogue to discuss exactly what occurred. Discuss the steps you take to ensure their safety. Tell them all the ways that they will not have to experience neglect or abuse again.

Question the Administrator about employees and management suspected abuse or neglect: By law, the Administrator must promptly report exactly what happened all formally filed complaints regarding abuse and neglect to the proper authorities at the state and federal levels. State investigators will arrive at the nursing home within hours or a day to investigate exactly what occurred and ensure the well-being of nursing home residents.

Gather Evidence: Every nursing home abuse and neglect case will have evidence to prove what happened. Take pictures of your loved one’s injury, speak with eyewitnesses, and record the names and occupations of everyone involved in the incident. Obtain medical records if possible, and consider speaking with a Morgantown nursing home abuse lawyer for assistance.

Report all suspected Morgantown nursing home abuse and neglect: Contact the West Virginia Adult Protection Services to report what happened at the Morgantown facility. Call the National Center on Elder Abuse if you are unsure who to speak with in Morgantown, WV.

Speak with the community Ombudsman: The name and contact information for the neighborhood Ombudsman must be prominently displayed in each nursing home who can take appropriate action to protect your loved one.

An Ombudsman is in charge of seeing that abuse or neglect in long-term care institutions does not occur or is stopped.

Consult a lawyer specializing in abuse or neglect in nursing homes: If a nursing home resident or your loved one is being abused or neglected, they are entitled to protection and compensation for damages to their health under the law. Reporting nursing home abuse and neglect is crucial. Contact our lawyers for a free consultation on your case.

The affiliate lawyers with our law firm have extensive experience with Morgantown nursing home abuse cases. They have access to every resource possible to provide the best legal help for your case. If your loved one has developed health issues, like bed sores, or has a personal injury, our lawyers are the best at what they do and will help you get the justice your loved one deserves.

The quality of legal services is paramount in Morgantown nursing home abuse cases. Our team will gather evidence, documentation, incident reports, doctor's notes, nursing notes, intake/outtake records, and care plans to fight for your loved one’s rights.

Call us today at (800) 926-7565 to arrange a free consultation with one of our WV attorneys. A lawyer will review your legal options, explain possible punitive damages, and discuss what a lawyer can do for you to ensure maximum compensation.

All information you share with our nursing home lawyers remains confidential. Our Morgantown nursing home abuse attorneys provide immediate legal representation, advice, and counsel without upfront fees.

All our legal services are paid after negotiating an acceptable out-of-court settlement or winning your case at trial. Our legal services will be free if our nursing home abuse lawyers cannot secure compensation on your behalf.

• American Psychological Association - Senior Citizens Abuse
• Centers For Disease Control and Prevention - Curbing Older Adults Abuse
• American Association of Retired Persons - Long-term Care Laws