Our Lawyers are Representing Victims of Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence on Long Island
There are millions of adults in the US receiving some type of long-term nursing care. Many of these people are elders living in nursing homes. The decision to place our loved ones in a nursing home is not an easy one to make. We research, interview, and ultimately choose the place with which we feel comfortable. Often, finances also play a role in our decision.
We trust that nursing home administrators and employees will treat our loved ones with respect, compassion, and kindness. They have duties to provide care to their residents. They are legally responsible for their safety and well-being. When someone violates these responsibilities, they should be held accountable.
Nursing home operators and employees often try to minimize or ignore reports of abuse and neglect. The victims might not have the physical or emotional ability to stand up for themselves. It is often the family members of nursing home abuse victims on Long Island, who must act to protect them.
If your loved one is the victim of abuse and neglect in a nursing home in Nassau County, Suffolk County, or Queens, you need someone with experience advocating for their legal rights and keeping them safe from additional harm. The Long Island nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Alonso Krangle, LLP are here to help you. We know how to prove negligence and understand the rules and regulations that govern nursing homes. We know how difficult it is to watch someone you love get hurt by the people entrusted with their care. You owe it to your family to hold nursing homes liable for abuse and neglect. Call Alonso Krangle, LLP at 800- 403-6191, to discuss your Long Island nursing home abuse claim today.
Nursing Home Abuse Can be Physical, Emotional, and Financial
There are approximately 620 nursing homes in New York. Approximately 80 of them are in Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. There are nearly 60 in Queens County.
In these nursing homes, abuse and neglect can occur in a variety of ways.
Abuse can be physical. Some examples of physical nursing home abuse include sexually assaulting, punching, kicking, smacking, pinching, and pushing.
Abuse can be emotional. Some examples of emotional abuse include threatening, ignoring, berating, insulting, and isolating.
Abuse can be financial. Some examples of financial abuse include stealing credit cards, writing checks, and taking valuable items.
Other forms of abuse and neglect common in nursing homes include:
- Using excessive physical restraint
- Using unnecessary chemical restraints to keep a patient sedated
- Withholding food and drink
- Withholding medication
- Refusing to maintain cleanliness and hygiene of resident
- Refusing to allow adequate mobility of the resident
- Withholding medical attention
- Sexually abusing
- Making errors with medication
- Ignoring or missing signs of distress
- Failing to move a bedridden patient
- Failing or doing insufficient background checks on employees
Nursing home abuse and neglect results in serious harm to the people we love. Many residents in nursing homes are not in a position to defend themselves against abuse. They are already in a weakened state, making them susceptible to serious injuries.
Recognizing Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect is Essential to Keeping Your Loved One Safe
Unfortunately, signs of abuse in nursing homes on Long Island are not always obvious. Why? You might not visit the nursing home that often. You might mistake signs of abuse for things you think are signs of old age. Injuries from abuse and neglect in nursing homes are often psychological and don’t leave visible bruises.
Your loved one might not have the ability to tell you what is really going on. You should know what to look for. If you notice any of the following, consider whether someone in a nursing home may be abusing your loved one:
- Changes in medication
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Bedsores or pressure ulcers
- Dirty bedsheets and linens
- Weight loss
- Fear
- Anxiety
- Emotional withdrawal
- Isolation
- Infections
- Broken bones
- Fractures
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Head injuries
- Bruises
- Unexplained injuries
- Instances of wandering or leaving the nursing home
- Unsanitary conditions
- Fear of being left alone with someone
- Unusual fatigue
- Frequent illness
- Weight gain
Our Nursing Home Lawyers Are Filing Claims for Victims of Abuse and Neglect on Long Island
There are voluminous regulations that govern nursing homes. There are federal and state laws that address staffing, cleanliness, needs of residents, qualifications of employees, and record-keeping, among other things. The Federal Nursing Home Reform Act and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services State Operations Manual cover nursing homes that receive federal funding. The New York State nursing home regulations are in Title 10 of the New York Compilation of Rules and Regulations.
Additionally, laws of negligence apply to the conduct of employees, administrators and operators of nursing homes. Nursing homes and their employees owe a duty of care to the residents. When someone violates their duty, and someone gets injured, the victim might have a negligence claim against the negligent party. A successful claim of nursing home abuse and neglect can result in significant compensation for the victim and/or the victim’s family.
Nursing home negligence in New York often involves one of the following:
- Medication errors
- Inadequate supervision of residents
- Negligent hiring of employees
- Negligent training
- Not following laws and guidelines
- Ignoring signs of abuse and neglect
- Inadequate supervision of employees
Nursing homes owe you and your loved ones the duty to keep them safe and provide them with emotional and physical care. When nursing home employees fail to do so, it is often the nursing home administrators and owners that are legally responsible.
If You Think Your Loved Is Being Abused in a Nursing Home in New York, Call Our Lawyers For Help
Taking on nursing home abuse and neglect is not something you should attempt alone. At Alonso Krangle, LLP, our lawyers have the experience, compassion, and skill you want on your side. We handle nursing home claims in Nassau, Suffolk, and Queens, where abuse and neglect occur with frequency.
Call our office today for a free review of your nursing home abuse and neglect claim. You can reach Long Island nursing home abuse lawyers at 800-403-6191.