Frederick Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
While one would assume that a nursing home would treat its residents with the utmost respect and care, the sad truth remains that abuse is rampant in certain facilities. If a facility or its staff is negligent in caring for a nursing home resident, they could liable if the resident sustains injuries. A Frederick nursing home abuse lawyer could stand up for your rights if you or a loved one has been mistreated in a residential care facility.
When a nursing home fails a resident, a personal injury attorney could help the injured party pursue compensation for their damages.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse
While nursing facility management, staff, or workers could be found liable for nursing home abuse, sometimes, the abuse is perpetrated by a fellow nursing home resident. Common examples of nursing home abuse include the following:
- Failure to properly care for a resident’s sanitary and hygienic needs
- Sexual abuse of a resident
- Failure to provide adequate medical care
- Economic exploitation by nursing home facility workers or others who reside at the facility
- Emotional abuse and abandonment by nursing home staff
There many signs that could indicate that a nursing home resident has sustained abuse, including unexplained bruising, bleeding, emotional removal from social situations, dirty clothes or underclothes, soiled bedding, malnutrition, dehydration, sudden amendments to financial documents, anxiety, and depression. If someone recognizes any of these signs of abuse when visiting a loved one at a nursing home, they should contact a Frederick attorney immediately. An experienced attorney could investigate the situation further and advise whether legal action may be a viable option.
Frederick Nursing Home Resident’s Rights
Nursing home residents in the state of Maryland have distinctive rights that the law provides to them. These privileges include the right to be given privacy, the right to make personal healthcare determinations, the right to live in an environment without abuse, the right to be unrestrained unless a doctor orders restraints for the sake of the resident’s health, and the right to be informed if being move to or released from a care facility per Maryland Code Health – General § 19-343.
Nursing home residents also have the right to receive friends, family members, and other social visitors. Residents should be permitted the ability to assert complaints or concerns without fear of suffering retaliation. Furthermore, residents are to be afforded the right to confidentiality and treated with due regard and dignity.
File a Case for Nursing Home Abuse Compensation
A Frederick lawyer could help a client seek compensation if they have been affected by nursing home abuse. The filing window to initiate a nursing home abuse lawsuit in Maryland is three years. The three-year period typically starts on the date of the injury.
However, with nursing home abuse cases, it is not uncommon for the resident’s injury to be discovered after the fact. In these circumstances, the three-year timeline could begin on the date the harm is discovered. An attorney could examine the details of a nursing home abuse plaintiff’s injury to determine which statute of limitations applies to their specific case.
A Frederick Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Could Help You Recover Your Damages
If you believe that a loved one has been abused at a nursing facility, or you yourself have been the victim of nursing home neglect, the next best step is to determine your legal options. A Frederick nursing home abuse lawyer could make sure you understand your legal rights and fight to win just compensation for your losses.
Contact a Frederick attorney today to discuss the next steps to pursue financial recovery.
