Senior citizens represent some of society’s most vulnerable people. Senior citizens in a nursing home are often most commonly abused, neglected or injured because they are unable to easily defend themselves.

Nursing home or assisted living facility abuse can be physical, financial or emotional. No matter what form the abuse or neglect may take, it is always hurtful or damaging.

Unfortunately, nursing home or assisted living facility neglect often goes unnoticed. Even though repeated visits are made to a nursing home or assisted living facility, signs of neglect may remain hidden.

There are several reasons why your loved one may suffer abuse in a nursing home or assisted living facility. A nursing home or assisted living facility owner may try and cut corners by skimping on training or staff.

In many instances, workers in these facilities are overworked, poorly trained and receive low pay. However, some of the worst cases of abuse may occur in nursing home or assisted living facilities which appear well run, professional and clean.

Common types of nursing home abuse

There are many different forms of abuse and/or negligence that may take place. Some of these include:

 Being given the wrong medication or overmedication
 Poor hygiene
 Malnourishment and dehydration
 Bedsores
 Falls

You may have a loved one who has suffered some type of abuse, neglect and/or injury in a nursing home or assisted living facility. You may be outraged, angry or upset that this happened. You also may be trying to decide what to do. You may wonder whether it would do any good to contact a personal injury attorney.

Can an injury attorney help in this situation?

Personal injury lawyers can protect your loved one’s legal rights. An attorney can assist you in getting proper documentation before a nursing home or assisted living facility misplaces it or covers it up. An attorney will also be knowledgeable about the statute of limitations and other unforeseen issues which may prevent you from receiving a just remedy for the abuse, neglect or injury.

If your loved one has been injured in a nursing home it is time to talk to a personal injury lawyer. Do not delay. Fill out the FREE evaluation form and a personal injury lawyer will contact you to discuss your nursing home abuse claim.

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If you are injured and believe someone else is to blame, your first step should be to find the best possible personal injury attorney to represent your needs. Start by finding an attorney who is licensed to practice Personal Injury Law in your state. A quick Internet search will direct you to your state’s Bar Association, which licenses and monitors all attorneys. In most states a lawyer can receive accreditation as a “Personal Injury Lawyer,” so start by downloading a list of those attorneys in your area. Some attorneys may note specialties such as “Brain Injury Law,” for example. This may not refer to a State Bar licensing but ratheran area of experience or interest.

Many people choose an attorney based on who has the funniest commercials or biggest billboards. Abundant advertising is not a guarantee of competent legal services and attention to your needs, just proof of a large advertising budget.

Once you have a list from your State Bar’s website of attorneys in your area that are licensed to practice Personal Injury Law, you may be overwhelmed. Typically, large cities have plenty of personal injury attorneys. Start narrowing down the list by contacting firms who can meet with you in person for a free initial consultation within the next few weeks. If an attorney wants to charge a fee to hear your story, consider contacting someone else. If you’re injured, you probably cannot afford to wait two months for an initial consultation.

Seek recommendations for a personal injury lawyer from personal friends or family members. Consider the source of the feedback, though. If your uncle didn’t like his attorney, how meaningful is that if your uncle never likes anyone?

Next, review the attorneys’ websites. Pay particular attention to attorneys’ biographical information. Did they attend a well-respected law school? How long have they been practicing Personal Injury Law? Try internet searches to find comments from past clients about the attorneys, although keep these in perspective: one irate client may not tell the whole story as he rants on and on in a social media posting, while ten satisfied clients of the same attorney may never think to post their praise online. If nothing else, comments from people you don’t know about an attorney can help you with specific questions to ask during your initial consultation.

Once you narrow your list down to five or less attorneys, schedule your consultation appointments. Be prepared for these interviews. Write down in advance questions you want to ask; take notes during the interview on the attorney’s responses. If you take any documents with you, like doctor’s reports or photos of the accident scene, be sure to leave your originals at home and take only copies. Questions to ask your personal injury attorney can include:

• What types of cases has the attorney previously handled (wrongful death, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, food safety violations, etc.)?
• How many cases has this attorney represented?
• What were the case outcomes?
• What was the compensation amounts for similar personal injury cases?
• Who would work with you, the attorney in your interview or someone else in the firm?
• How many paralegals will work on your case?
• What is the attorney’s fee?
• Did the attorney seem to value you and your time?

Try to meet anyone in the firm that would be part of the legal team representing you and tour the office. It is also important to  ask for references from past clients.

Once your interviews are complete, make a list of “pros and cons” for each lawyer. Be sure to note whether you liked the attorney and whether they seemed trustworthy. You will potentially spend a good team of time with your personal injury attorney, and you need to feel comfortable with this person. After making the right preparations and asking the right questions, you can select your personal injury attorney with confidence.

Sometimes we forgot our basic rights when we or a loved one have been hurt. Clearly most of us know our rights, but in cases where someone is trying to help you and fails, it may seem wrong to sue. This is particularly prevalent in medical negligence cases. You have rights, and this guide explains them. If you’re unsure of where to begin, you need an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Your Right to Proper Care
So just what is medical negligence? It occurs when your rights to proper medical care have been violated. You expect proper care from a professional physician, and you deserve it. If the doctor, nurses, staff, or hospital makes incompetent decisions, your rights are being violated. This is very important. A lawsuit is possible in cases where a competent person could have done the same work with no mistakes. When lives are on the line, when injuries need proper care, by law a hospital must be able to treat it properly.

Your Right to Sue for Negligence
If the medical help is negligent, it is considered medical malpractice. If you or a loved one suffer a major injury, and the doctor fails to see the extent of it and causes you pain and suffering, you have a right to sue. If a nurse fails to administer drugs correctly, you have a right to sue. The claim can be made against many involved. The doctor, the hospital, the medical staff – each are subject to suits. Yes, it may seem wrong to sue the people who tried to help you, but your insurance is paying them to act appropriately, and you’re putting your well-being in their hands. In all cases, you need a professional lawyer in order to see the scope of the damages.

Your Right to Damages
If you and your lawyer can clearly prove medical negligence has occurred, you can expect to get damages. What do you prove? As in other personal injury cases, you just need to think logically. If the right decisions had been made, would further injury have occurred? If a competent doctor had gone through the surgery, would the same problems have been made? In personal injury law, competence is important. If you can prove that a more competent medical professional would have made no such mistake, you can sue for damages.

How much can you get? It depends on the scope of the injury, but medical malpractice lawsuits are very serious. Well, all personal injury cases are serious, but here you are putting your well-being in the hands of those who are supposed to act professionally. By risking further injury or even death, they are breaking your right to proper medical care.

Your Right to a Lawyer
Finally, before you make any decision, you need to contact a local, experienced personal injury lawyer. Medical malpractice is something many lawyers specialize in. A lawyer will cost you some money, but if your case is strong, the damages resulting go well beyond paying for legal help. Your lawyer’s job is to educate you on the laws involved, explain how much damages you deserve, and represent you in a court of law.

If you have a loved one who has suffered any type of nursing home neglect or abuse you have a right to be angry. Nursing home neglect can take on many forms including: unexplained bedsores, bruises, sudden changes in behavior or personality or any type of unexplained bleeding.

Thousands of nursing homes nationwide provide an invaluable service for our loved ones who can not properly care for themselves, but unfortunately due to a variety of issues such as underpaid, overworked, and poorly trained nursing personnel mistreatment can occur.

A personal injury attorney can perform a variety of services including:

• Reviewing the injuries of your loved ones and evaluating if they constitute negligence.
• Work with the police department to evaluate the actions of the nursing home.
• Fill out paperwork with the appropriate state department who monitors nursing home care.
• File a medical malpractice case.
• Discuss injuries and concerns with the Nursing home administrator.

Failure to provide adequate medical care can be considered medical malpractice. If the type of abuse your loved one has suffered rises to the level of medical malpractice you may be able to pursue a medical malpractice claim against the individuals responsible. Some types of behaviors may even rise to the level of criminal charges.

It is important that if you have a loved in a nursing home that you understand their basic rights. The right of residents has been outline in the Nursing Home Reform Act. Some of their rights include:

• Participation in their own care.
• The right to voice concerns and complaints.
• The right to have visitors.
• The right to privacy and confidentiality.
• The right to have their possessions protected.
• The right to understand the cost of their care and the service that the home is providing for them.

If you choose to work with a personal injury attorney you will receive expert legal advice during your medical malpractice case. A personal injury attorney can also help insure your loved one is compensated properly for all of their medical costs and any additional pain and suffering they have endured as a result of nursing abuse. If you win your medical malpractice case the court will determine the damages based on the type of injuries and abuse that occurred.

If someone you love has been the victim of nursing home abuse you do not have to fight this injustice alone. A personal injury attorney can provide the expertise you need to make sure your loved one is receiving adequate care.