Roswell Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Roswell Nursing Home Abuse AttorneyThe increasing number of senior citizens moving into long-term care facilities has placed a heavy burden on nursing homes that are becoming understaffed and overcrowded. The Roswell nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center, LLC, have witnessed a rise in the number of cases involving neglect and abuse in recent years, which corresponds to the heavier burdens placed on nursing facilities.

Have you or your loved one been abused or neglected at a New Mexico nursing home? If so, contact our affiliate New Mexico personal injury attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center, LLC, and talk directly with our lawyer. We provide help to many victims of gross negligence injured by those in charge of providing care. Call our Roswell nursing home abuse lawyers at (800) 926-7565 (toll-free phone number) for immediate legal advice.

All confidential or sensitive information you share with our legal team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

What is Elder Abuse?

According to Safe Voices, elder abuse is defined as “an intentional act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.”

Elder abuse could involve:

  • Physical Abuse
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Negligence
  • Emotional Abuse
  • Financial Exploitation
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

While the effects that a loved one has suffered from a health injury are often noticeable, other types of abuse can be subtle and not as easy to determine.

However, warning signs can help a family member determine that a resident has suffered abuse at their Roswell care home or long-term care facility.

Below are some of the common warning signs that a resident has suffered abuse:

  • Bruises and marks
  • Signs of fear when certain nursing home personnel or other patients are around
  • Pressure sores, ulcers, rashes, and other skin disorders
  • Untreated health injuries
  • Suicide attempts
Non-Physical Signs That Can Indicate Abuse
  • Extreme agitation
  • Withdrawal from social interactions
  • Sudden or unexplained changes in behavior
  • Fear or avoidance of a person or place
  • Fear of being left alone or in the dark

Have you witnessed any of these signs that can be considered nursing home abuse? Report what you have seen or suspect to the proper authorities, and contact the Adult Protective Services and the facility’s administrators. Contact a nursing home abuse attorney to understand what legal options you have.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing home residents could be victims of many forms of abuse. Witnessing what is happening in the care facility of your loved ones could save their lives and help them avoid further abuse.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is one of the most frequently reported forms of abuse in a long-term care facility. Below are some examples of nursing home abuse:

  • Pushing, shoving, tripping, or dragging
  • Punching, hitting, or slapping
  • Beatings

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse is, unfortunately, a prevalent type of home abuse.

Care home personnel, visitors, the victim’s family members, or other patients may develop a close relationship to access the person’s accounts and take advantage of the victims by:

  • Forcing the residents to sign a financial document against their will
  • Taking their belongings without permission
  • Accessing the patient’s accounts without their knowledge
  • Withdrawing money from the bank account without consent

Emotional and Psychological Abuse

Emotional elder abuse is another recurring problem across care facilities and can significantly affect your loved one.

Examples of emotional abuse can include:

  • Humiliating the victim in front of other people
  • Isolating the victim from friends and family members
  • Verbal or written threats
  • Threatening the victim with violence and intimidation

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse in nursing homes is, unfortunately, widespread. Signs of sexual abuse may include:

  • Unexplained development of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or genital infection
  • Pain or irritation of the genital areas from sexual assault
  • Panic attacks from repeated sexual contact
  • Bruises around the inner thighs, the genital area, or breasts
  • Unexplained challenges sitting or walking
  • Torn, stained, or bloodied underclothing

If you recognize any signs and suspect sexual assault, you should act quickly, contact authorities, and report it to the administrators.

Negligence Related to Inadequate Staffing in a Roswell Nursing Home

The opportunity for abuse and neglect has become a serious problem as more elderly and disabled individuals than ever before are now residing in nursing homes. Minimal oversight in care can lead to serious injury.

When a care facility is understaffed, its nurses and nurse aides become overworked. The lack of necessary staff makes workers unable to complete their tasks and assist all residents.

Many residents are subjected to a lack of assistance and the ongoing supervision they need.

Neglect

Negligence can directly result from an understaffed or poorly staffed home facility. Neglect is when a staff member fails to meet their duty of care for an elderly person, which can be considered abuse.

 Signs of neglect could include a failure to:

  • Acknowledge complaints of pain and elder abuse
  • Prevent falls resulting in broken bones
  • Prevent pressure wounds
  • Give an elderly person food, water, or medical care
  • Help residents that suffer from incontinence, which may result in soiled underclothes
Bedsores Could Indicate Negligence in the Nursing Home

Developing bedsores are a significant problem when staff neglects the resident’s health care needs. Bed sores also referred to as pressure wounds or decubitis ulcers, are injuries to the skin and underlying tissue resulting from prolonged pressure.

The most common way to measure the severity of nursing home bedsores is by the depth of soft tissue damage.

A nursing home resident with low mobility or a personal injury that diminishes their skin sensibility when in contact with surfaces has more chances of developing pressure wounds. Untreated bedsores may lead to sepsis and even death without proper care.

What Are the Common Signs of Bedsores in Nursing Homes?

Some common warning signs of bedsores include:

  • Patches of skin that feel cool or warm to the touch
  • Pus drainage from wounds
  • Strange changes in skin color or texture
  • Swelling
  • Tender areas of the skin

Staff members must follow established protocols to treat bed sores before they cause serious health problems. Failing to follow standards of care could create legal liability for the staff member and the facility if the resident develops severe complications.

Who is Liable for Nursing Home Neglect Cases?

Civil lawsuits for Roswell nursing home abuse and neglect can be filed against:

  • People who work directly with patients as caregivers at a nursing facility (such as nurses, certified nursing assistants, and other staff.)
  • Administrators or others responsible for supervising nursing home staff, the owners, or operators
How Can a Roswell Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Help You?

Many care facilities have a division called “risk management,” to protect the facility from legal action and minimize the compensation they must pay to the victim to resolve their injury claim or their family’s wrongful death lawsuit. 

A Roswell nursing home abuse lawyer from our law firm can determine if the case has merit based on one or more instances of neglect or abuse.

A Roswell nursing home abuse lawyer can help you:

  • Seek compensation for your personal injury (including burial expenses in a wrongful death case)
  • Gather evidence to determine liability
  • Interview witnesses and other residents
  • Handle all legal paperwork
Schedule a Free Consultation with Our Roswell Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Does the suffering, injury, or pain your family member is experiencing appear to be caused by negligence or physical or emotional abuse at the nursing facility? Take immediate legal action for your loved one, and call our nursing home abuse lawyer to schedule a free consultation.

Our affiliate lawyers at the Nursing Home Law Center, LLC, can assist you in understanding your rights and seeking compensation for your damages.

Call us at (800) 926-7565 to arrange a free consultation with one of our award-winning Roswell nursing home abuse attorneys. We will review your case and discuss what we can do for you to ensure maximum compensation.

We serve clients throughout the state, including those living in the Roswell area and throughout Chaves and Eddy counties. All information you share with a nursing home abuse lawyer within our law firm remains confidential.

We 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.

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Client Reviews

★★★★★
Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial. Lisa
★★★★★
After I read Jonathan’s Nursing Home Blog, I decided to hire him to look into my wife’s treatment at a local nursing home. Jonathan did a great job explaining the process and the laws that apply to nursing homes. I immediately felt at ease and was glad to have him on my side. Though the lawsuit process was at times frustrating, Jonathan reassured me, particularly at my deposition. I really felt like Jonathan cared about my wife’s best interests, and I think that came across to the lawyers for the nursing home. Eric