
Any individual action or institutional policy that jeopardizes the health and safety of patients constitutes nursing home abuse in Maryland. A Baltimore nursing home abuse lawyer can help you seek financial compensation if your loved one sustained abuse that resulted in:
- Physical injuries
- Emotional distress
- Financial losses
Types of Nursing Home Abuse to Look Out For
Nursing home abuse can take many forms, so it is a good idea to keep an eye out for signs of any or all of the following in your loved one:
Nursing Home Physical Abuse
Older adults are often more prone to sustaining injuries than younger adults, so the nursing home staff should take care to treat them with respect. Under no circumstances should they strike or shake a patient or treat them roughly (e.g., when transferring them from a bed to a wheelchair).
Nursing Home Emotional Abuse
Nursing homes are sometimes understaffed, so employees may be stressed and rushed. They should not, however, take their frustrations out on the patients. Yelling at, insulting, dismissing, or belittling patients is never okay.
Nursing Home Medical Abuse
The staff should include medical professionals who monitor nursing home residents, administer medical care as necessary, and follow up after each treatment. Medical malpractice can result when the staff ignores patient complaints, fails to diagnose or treat a condition properly, or administers a treatment the patient does not need.
Nursing Home Sexual Abuse
Sexual contact of any form should never occur between a nursing home patient and an employee. The power imbalance between the two parties makes true consent impossible. Nursing home staff must also never harass or assault the patients.
Nursing Home Financial Abuse
You pay the long-term care facility to take care of your loved one. The nursing home and its employees must never try to get additional money out of your loved one by:
- Stealing cash, credit cards, or personal belongings
- Promising additional favors or amenities in exchange for cash or gifts
- Convincing them to change their will
- Extorting money by withholding necessities
Nursing Home Neglect
Even if an employee does not directly harm a patient, they can do just as much, if not more, damage through neglect. Failing to provide basic necessities (e.g., food, medicine, or shelter), leaving the patient to fend for themselves, or failing to ensure the patient has social interactions with others regularly are examples of neglect.
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(888) 585-2188
How to Respond to Nursing Home Abuse in Baltimore
The Maryland Department of Health states that, if you see any warning signs of nursing home abuse with an elderly resident, you must report it to both the local police and the Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ).
This law also has implications for your case: if the staff at the nursing home facility suspected elder abuse but did nothing, they have violated state law and should be held accountable.
Getting the Right Care for a Nursing Home Abuse Survivor
Abuse is very traumatic and difficult to talk about. Your loved one might have physical injuries and psychological scars that need healing. You also want to take swift action to get them out of the abusive nursing home and find a new place for them to live.
All of this is extremely upsetting for everyone involved. While you take care of your loved one, do not forget to take care of yourself by:
- Spending time doing things you enjoy, both by yourself and with loved ones
- Confiding in people you trust about how you feel and, if you want, asking their advice about what to do
- Hiring a nursing home abuse attorney to handle the legal aspects of your case and fight for justice for your family
You Can Fight to Hold an Abusive Baltimore Nursing Home Accountable
You put your loved one in a nursing home because you believed that was the best place for them to receive the care and attention they needed to live a good life. Learning that your trust was misplaced and your loved one was injured as a result is devastating.
Your feelings of grief and anger are completely understandable. You have the right to channel those feelings into legal action against the abusive nursing home.
Bringing a Nursing Home Abuse Case in Maryland
To pursue both justice and fair compensation after an act (or series of acts) of nursing home abuse, your case must go through a highly regimented legal process. This process generally includes the following steps:
- Reporting the abuse as required by law
- Ensuring your loved one’s injuries receive prompt treatment
- Collecting evidence to create a case file against the nursing home
- Identifying specific liable parties (e.g., an individual employee or the company that runs the nursing facility)
- Quantifying your loved one’s injuries to determine what a fair settlement will look like
- Contacting the nursing home and demanding that they pay compensation
- Negotiating with the nursing home’s representatives for the money you need
- Filing a nursing home abuse lawsuit
- Taking the nursing home to court and asking a jury to find in your favor (this step is only necessary if negotiations fall through or are not an option)
Finding Support From a Baltimore Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Right now, your primary focus should be looking after your loved one and seeing to their needs. You can do this more effectively if you put your legal case in the hands of a nursing home abuse attorney in Baltimore. Your personal injury lawyer can tell you:
- What constitutes nursing home abuse in Baltimore and whether your loved one’s case meets this definition
- How much money you may be able to get from your case
- All of the available legal options and which one might best enable you to meet your goals
- How your case is going and keep you updated regularly so you do not have to worry and wonder about what is happening
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We Can Tell You More About Nursing Home Abuse in Baltimore
At Jenner Law, our personal injury law firm is committed to providing the personalized, attentive care our clients deserve. We can tell you what constitutes nursing home abuse in Baltimore and how you can get the justice your loved one deserves.
If you suspect your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse, contact us today for a free case evaluation.
Call or text (888) 585-2188 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form