A Florida Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Can Help You Win Your Case
If you or your loved one is among the thousands of people in nursing homes today, you will want to be sure that the best treatment is available and the staff is competent and is giving the patient full rights.
Unfortunately, there are a growing number of cases of nursing home abuse and neglect, as facilities get desperate to cut cost and hire staff who are not skilled or even unstable. Some might even hire ex-convicts to care for the elderly, a phenomenon which is rare, but happens.
If you suspect abuse, contact our Florida nursing home attorneys who will help counsel you or your loved once concerning the best course of action.
Florida is a state that is popular with the elderly, and the right Florida nursing home abuse attorneys will be quite experienced in dealing with the issues that you or your loved one are facing.
Signs of abuse vary, and can include neglect (unsanitary conditions, dehydrations, frequent infections, malnutrition, and medical neglect). Physical abuse includes physical punishment or confining to a room, unexplained injuries, or providing medicine without doctor supervision.
Emotional abuse may also be a problem; observe how nursing home staff treat your loved one and how your loved one responds to them. Since there are a wide variety of types of nursing home abuse, it's a good idea to consult our lawyers who can tell you what signs indicate a civil or criminal suit.
Our Florida nursing home abuse attorney will first ask you the nature of your complaint or complaints. He or she might be able to recommend many other things you are entitled to in a civil suit.
Physical abuse often has a mental component, and it is common for nursing home patients who were physically abused also to sue for emotional anguish and neglect. One of the most challenging aspects of bringing an abuse case of an elderly person is to prove that the injuries were caused by staff at the facility.
It is very easy for the workers to allege the patient fell, for instance, or is senile and is making up stories. However, our Florida nursing home abuse lawyers who are experienced in this area will be able to deal with any excuses made by the defendant, and will be able to suggest ways of proving that injuries were indeed caused by the nursing home.
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A geriatric psychologist may be of assistance as a witness, especially one who is familiar with your loved one's medical problems and past mental state.
When discussing the case with our Florida nursing home abuse attorneys, you will need to decide whether you want to conduct an investigation, to bring a civil suit or to press criminal charges. The nature of the legal action depends on the situation. Criminal charges, for instance, are intended to punish, while a civil suit is intended to award damages to the victim.
Contact our experienced Florida nursing home abuse attorneys today for help with your case 800-429-4529.
Nursing home abuse lawyers Florida, discussing financial abuse situations
When someone grows older and encounters the difficult reality that he or she needs help managing basic tasks and routines involved with daily life, that person often reluctantly comes to the decision that it’s time to move into an assisted living facility.
Even if that person does not come to that decision, family members often will based on safety and health concerns. While this type of a change is difficult enough to accept, it only becomes much worse if such a person is mistreated in this setting.
Below you will find a brief overview of one of the most common and most troubling types of mistreatment that occurs in assisted living centers – financial abuse. People who have depended on staff members in these facilities have been harmed in this manner many times, and family members who suspect this conduct is occurring need to contact experienced Florida nursing home abuse lawyers as soon as possible.
1. Nature of financial abuse
When people think of nursing home abuse in Florida, they often think of disturbing images of people being physically harmed. While this does occur, it’s usually the threat of this type of harm that will lead a resident to agree to the extortion that is being perpetrated.
Generally, what will occur is that the resident who is under duress will agree to some form of cash payment that is made either occasionally or on a regular basis to prevent the threatened harm from becoming a reality. Living with this type of fear is extremely taxing on anyone, let alone someone who already needs help with the daily routine.
2. Suspicion of financial abuse
Generally speaking, family members will be the ones who first become suspicious of a problem with regards to the resident’s finances. They could hear that the resident is suddenly short of cash for basic expenses or they could notice a series of strange withdrawals from a bank account with no explanation offered by that resident. Anyone who does notice something abnormal in this regard should make sure to find out as much about the situation as possible.
Nursing home abuse lawyers Florida, discussing risks regarding private home caregivers
When people grow older and/or they become ill and they encounter the need for help and care managing their daily routines, many of them will begrudgingly move into assisted care facilities.
However, some people have expanded choices available to them that include the ability to hire private caregivers so that they can continue to live in their homes. While this option would obviously be appealing to many people, there are serious problems and risks that can arise with this type of an arrangement.
Below you will find a brief overview to the potential risks and problems that have been associated with private home caregivers in Florida in terms of what types of cracks in the system exist and how those cracks can lead to harm to the vulnerable.
Anyone who has been mistreated or who suspects that a family member has been mistreated in this manner needs to obtain the help of Florida nursing home abuse lawyers as soon as possible.
1. Private jome caregivers as employees
One common arrangement that exists in Florida for care of the elderly and/or ill in the home involves people who work for companies that offer their employees for this needed service.
When someone works for a company that provides this service, that person must pass through a background check in order to be hired and sent to someone’s home.
Unfortunately, when someone’s background leads them to not be hired by a company, that person is not out of options for this type of work.
2. Independent private home caregivers as individuals
When someone does not have the option of working for a company providing this service, they can simply advertise for themselves as caregivers.
While people in Florida who perform this type of work can become licensed as Certified Nursing Assistants by the Florida Department of Health, such a designation is not required by the state to provide this service.
Therefore, nearly anyone who wants to work in this field can do so, and the state does not oversee any of them unless their abuse rises to the level of criminal charges.
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How Florida nursing home abuse lawyers can help
Fortunately, this conduct often immediately comes to an end when a family member obtains the help of experienced Florida nursing home abuse lawyers .
That’s because the facility itself is put on notice of this type of involvement and will warn anyone who may be involved in this type of conduct to stop immediately. This will provide the resident with some form of peace while the investigation into what has really been happening continues.
When someone is being abused by a private home caregiver, that person can face many different forms of mistreatment. Clearly, the most obvious example is physical mistreatment that leads to injuries, but emotional abuse and financial abuse are also alarmingly common.
Unfortunately, many people who face this situation feel as though there is no way out in terms of help that could be obtained. Any family member who even suspects such treatment is occurring needs to act on those instincts just to be sure.
If you or someone you love is being mistreated by any type of caregiver in any type of a setting, you need to seek the help of Florida nursing home abuse attorneys who have been helping clients regain their dignity and their safety for many years.