Nursing homes are where elderly individuals go to receive care and stimulation. Abuse can take place at these establishments, which causes family members a lot of fear today. If your loved one is involved in said abuse, these legal tips will be pivotal in how you respond.
Review Symptoms Carefully
Once your family is made aware of the nursing home abuse, you want to carefully examine the symptoms that your elderly family member is now dealing with. Whether it's emotional or visible signs of physical abuse, further investigation can help you verify nursing home abuse.
An investigation is important because you don't want to make a rash decision and try suing the nursing home if an accident was at play. Be thorough in your symptom examination and also get a nursing home abuse attorney involved. Then, this situation can be handled correctly.
Remain Quiet For Now
Even if you know with absolute certainty a nursing home abused your loved one in some way, you should still remain quiet. Going to the press or sharing this experience online could make things escalate out of control before you're really ready to deal with the abuse.
Only talk to a nursing home abuse attorney about this case. They'll proceed carefully and give this process plenty of time before making an official report. Even after the case is over, you may still need to remain silent. This is particularly true if you sign a non-disclosure agreement with the facility in exchange for a settlement.
Let Evidence Work in Your Favor
Evidence is key when dealing with a nursing home abuse situation in the family. It can be the difference between winning or losing so it's important you collect as much of it as you can — even if you have no prior history with this type of legal situation.
Start off by taking statements from your loved one that was abused or taking pictures of physical harm. Let an attorney get in on this investigation, too, because they have a ton of resources that can help the right forms of evidence get collected and stay preserved for trial if it's required.
Nursing home abuse isn't something any resident at one of these dwellings should have to deal with, but it does happen. In the case of nursing home abuse, responsiveness, diligence, and professional assistance are all key in getting justice served to the appropriate party.
Reach out to a local nursing home abuse attorney to learn more about what you can do.
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