Belleville Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Entrusting a loved one to a nursing home’s care is never an easy decision. At their most vulnerable, our families deserve compassion and protection. Unfortunately, some facilities fall dangerously short of providing even basic human dignity.

If you suspect a family member has been neglected or mistreated while residing in a Belleville nursing home, don’t suffer in silence. The nursing home abuse lawyers of Morelli Law understand the trauma of discovering harm done to someone under another’s watch.

That’s why we’re here – to guide you through this painful process with sensitivity, respect, and legal experience. Let our Belleville personal injury attorneys shed light on your rights and options during such an upsetting time.

What Is Nursing Home Neglect?

Several main types of neglect occur in nursing homes and assisted living facilities:

Physical Neglect

Physical neglect can lead to preventable medical issues like pressure ulcers, hip fractures from falls, and pneumonia from lack of position changes.

Medical Neglect

Medical neglect is especially egregious as it deprives vulnerable seniors of necessary treatment for pain, illness, or condition management. Missing medications can cause serious harm or even death.

Safety Neglect

Safety neglect exposes residents to heightened risks of injury. Falls are a leading cause of death in nursing homes when proper protections and monitoring are not in place.

Emotional Neglect

Emotional neglect has ramifications beyond just discomfort – it can accelerate cognitive and physical decline. Seniors need social connections and mental stimulation.

Unsanitary or Unsafe Conditions

Unsanitary environmental conditions are psychologically distressing and can contribute to infections and disease outbreaks. Residents deserve basic dignities like clean living spaces.

Proving a claim requires evidence like incident reports, medical records, staffing schedules, or witness statements indicating the facility failed to meet professional standards of care. Our elder abuse attorneys in Belleville will thoroughly investigate any lapses that jeopardized resident well-being.

What Is Nursing Home Abuse?

Here are some of the main types and examples of nursing home abuse:

• Physical abuse: Inflicting bodily harm such as hitting, punching, beating, or physical punishment of any kind.
• Verbal abuse: Threatening, intimidating, or subjecting a resident to profanity or derogatory/demeaning remarks.
• Sexual abuse: Any non-consensual sexual contact, from harassment to rape and sexual assault.
• Emotional abuse: Humiliating, threatening, or controlling a resident in any way that causes mental anguish. This includes intimidation and forced isolation.
• Financial Abuse or Exploitation: Misusing a resident’s funds, property, or assets for personal gain through deception or intimidation.
• Involuntary seclusion: Locking a resident alone in a room against their will or for the staff’s convenience.
• Restraint abuse: Using physical or chemical restraints improperly for discipline/convenience rather than medical necessity.

Our goal is to protect those who can’t protect themselves and hold accountable any facility that violates seniors’ safety through these unacceptable acts. Your nursing home neglect lawyer in Belleville can be a powerful ally in your pursuit of justice for your loved one.

Taking Action Against Nursing Home Neglect

If you believe your loved one has experienced neglect or abuse while residing in a nursing home, it is crucial to take action. Our experienced Belleville nursing home abuse lawyers understand the emotions involved in confronting such a difficult situation.

We will begin by gathering all relevant information about the incident or ongoing issues through an investigation. This includes:

• Medical records
• Incident reports
• Staffing records
• Maintenance logs
• Surveillance camera footage
• History of violations or complaints against the facility
• Witness interviews

Building a comprehensive case lays the groundwork for establishing how the facility failed to meet standards of care.

If neglect or abuse is indicated, we aim to hold the responsible parties fully accountable. This often involves filing administrative complaints, licensing board reports, and civil litigation to pursue financial compensation for your loved one’s injuries and losses.

Our priority is supporting victims and their families every step of the way.

Recoverable Damages in a Nursing Home Abuse Claim:

Here are a few examples of the main types of damages that may be available in a successful nursing home abuse or neglect claim:

Economic Damages:

• Past medical expenses: This includes all out-of-pocket costs for initial treatment, hospitalization, procedures, medications, healthcare provider visits, rehabilitation, assistive devices, etc., from the date of the incident until the present.
• Future medical expenses: An evaluation by a qualified expert determines likely additional medical costs over the lifetime to treat long-term conditions caused by the abuse/neglect, such as ongoing therapy, nurse visits, wound care, assisted living, etc.

Non-Economic Damages:

• Pain and suffering: Compensation for both physical pain as well as mental/emotional distress from injuries, treatments, limited mobility, or function.
• Loss of enjoyment of life: Inability to participate in activities, hobbies, and relationships due to permanent health changes from the incident.
• Disfigurement or disability: Impact on one’s ability to live independently or normally due to scarring, amputations, confinement to a bed or wheelchair, etc.
• Emotional trauma or PTSD – Emotional impacts like fear of future medical treatment or flashbacks from trauma suffered.

The goal is to compensate the victim and family as fully as possible for all types of losses – financial as well as non-monetary – resulting from preventable harms due to the facility’s negligence or intentional wrongdoings. A skilled elder abuse attorney in Belleville can help maximize the recovery.

Contact a Belleville Nursing Home Abuse Law Firm Today for a Free Case Evaluation

While no amount of compensation can undo past suffering, we are committed to both pursuing justice and preventing these issues from affecting others. If you have concerns about the care provided to a loved one, contact Morelli Law today.

In a free consultation, we can thoroughly review the specific circumstances and offer honest guidance on pursuing accountability and protecting rights. Our services are also completely confidential and free of obligation.

You need not endure heartache alone or make difficult decisions without legal counsel. We have achieved successful outcomes for many clients through our aggressive representation and will fight resolutely on your behalf. Residents deserve compassionate care, and we are proud to stand up for vulnerable members of our community.