Nursing home abuse
Savannah Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Fight for Injured Seniors
Moving a loved one into a nursing home or other care facility is emotionally difficult for any family. You may worry about how they will adjust to their new living situation and how they will transition to a less independent life. However, those may be small concerns compared to the treatment that patients and residents receive at some nursing homes in Georgia. You should be able to trust the doctors, nurses, and other staff members at your loved one’s nursing home to give them the best possible care, but that doesn’t always happen. At Owens & Mulherin Injury Lawyers, we know that abuse and neglect are all too common in care facilities, putting residents’ well-being at risk.
Our attorneys have handled a wide variety of nursing home cases ranging from severe injuries due to falls and the failure to supervise, to decubitus ulcers resulting in major surgeries or death. If you suspect that your loved one is a victim of neglect or abuse, get in touch with our legal team as soon as possible. Doing so can not only help you and your loved one get compensation for injuries caused by neglect and abuse, but it can save their life.
Signs of nursing home abuse and neglect
Depending on the health of your loved one, it can be difficult to determine if they’re receiving quality care at their nursing home. The staff may appear attentive and caring while you’re visiting, but they may neglect loved ones or even abuse them when you and your other family members aren’t around.
It’s important to be on the lookout for signs of abuse or neglect in your loved one, which can manifest as:
Call our experienced Savannah attorneys right away if you think that your loved one is a victim of abuse or neglect by a nursing home. At Owens & Mulherin, we can begin investigating to not only protect your loved one’s health and well-being, but also to maximize your family’s chances of getting full compensation.
Too many Georgia nursing homes deliver low-quality services and expose elders to abuse
Georgia nursing homes have been heavily criticized for substandard performance in recent years. Nursing Home Compare, a federal service that has been tracking nursing home quality since 1998, gave its highest, five-star rating indicating “much above average” to 56 nursing homes in the state. Unfortunately, 28 percent of Georgia’s nursing homes earned only one star, indicating “much below average.” By contrast, the nursing homes of neighboring states such as Alabama and Florida earned one-star ratings of 11 percent and 12 percent, respectively.
The consequences of substandard nursing home services are often tragic, as illustrated by the avalanche of 777 criminal charges filed against 560 individuals for abuse, neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult in Georgia as late as 2016 (the latest year statistics were available). Still, advocates for seniors claim that for every abuse case that comes to the attention of authorities, another 23 cases go unreported, meaning that some members of our most vulnerable population suffer in silence.
Advocates are quick to point out that even if your elder loved one’s facility has a five-star rating, you should still visit the facility often and monitor your loved one’s progress and care. You are your loved one’s advocate and greatest asset in the fight against abuse and neglect. Your vigilance in noticing the telltale signs of abuse and neglect — as listed above — can keep your loved one safe, and our law firm is ready to help.
We’ll stand up for your loved one’s rights
Nursing home residents in Georgia are entitled to a Bill of Rights concerning many aspects of their care and daily lives. This Bill of Rights is protected under state law and entitles residents to:
- The right to receive adequate care, treatment, and services
- The right to choose among different forms of treatment
- The right to refuse treatment by a doctor or request a different doctor
- The right to be treated with dignity and respect
- The right to know about their medical conditions, treatment options, and side effects
Those rights are often violated when residents are abused or neglected. At Owens & Mulherin, we believe that nursing home residents deserve high-quality and compassionate care, and that’s why we strive to fight for victims and their families when they are mistreated.
Contact our Savannah attorneys for help with nursing home neglect or abuse
Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are among the most vulnerable members of society. Don’t wait to get the legal representation you and your loved one need when you suspect that a family member is being subjected to abuse or neglect by the very people charged with caring for them.