Washington DC contains many assisted living facilities that help senior citizens with their everyday needs while still allowing them to live independent lives. Despite the more hands-off nature of these facilities, they still provide skilled nursing care to their residents and as such have an obligation to provide this care in a competent way.
One major way that assisted living facilities in Washington DC fail in this obligation is by allowing abuse to take place within their walls. Assisted living facilities are notorious for not properly vetting or training staff members. This can lead to unqualified or even malicious staff causing harm to their residents.
A Washington DC assisted living abuse lawyer could help residents and their families to pursue claims against Washington DC assisted living facilities when their staff abuse residents. Experienced attorneys work to investigate each claim and to demand appropriate compensation for their losses.
All nursing homes and assisted living facilities have an obligation to follow Washington DC’s rules concerning resident rights. This patient bill of rights states that all residents have the right to expect to live in an assisted care facility with physical and mental dignity. This includes the right to be free from the intentional abuses of staff.
Because these staff members are employees of assisted living facilities, the facility shares legal liability in the case of an injury. All employers are responsible for the actions of their workers that occur during working hours. Therefore, a personal injury claim following an instance of assisted care facility abuse can name the facility as a co-defendant alongside the abusive staff member.
However, plaintiffs in these cases must be sure to act quickly. Washington DC law strictly controls when a person can file a claim for a personal injury. According to DC Code §12-301, courts will only hear a case if a plaintiff files a complaint within three years of the date of discovering the injury. If this time limit passes, the injured resident will be unable to collect compensation.
Assisted living facilities have an absolute duty to protect their residents from harm. While this certainly includes a duty to prevent harm that may result from an accident, it also includes a duty to protect people from abusive staff.
This can take on many forms. Staff can abuse people when they:
Any of these incidents can result in severe physical or mental injuries. Even something as simple as a rough grab of a resident could break a bone, cause severe bruising, or even force people to the ground who are already in less than perfect health. A Washington DC assisted living abuse lawyer could help clients to evaluate the actions of staff members and to demand appropriate compensation for their losses.
Assisted living facilities in Washington DC have an obligation to provide competent care to their residents. This includes an obligation to properly hire and train staff to minimalize the chances of employee abuses. These abuses can cause serious physical and mental injuries to people who need help with their day to day activities.
A Washington DC assisted living abuse lawyer could help. They work to gather evidence of the actions of assisted living center concerning employee abuses. They then aim to place this evidence within the framework of relevant Washington DC laws and to help clients to pursue negligent assisted living facilities for the actions of their workers. Contact an attorney today to learn more.
