Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Greeley

As our parents and elderly loved ones age, we’re often faced with the hard decision of placing them in a nursing home. Sometimes, that is the best decision we can make for our family member. The skills of the staff at a nursing home are often exactly what an elderly individual needs, and so, as hard as the decision is, we make it assuming they’ll be in the best hands possible. Elderly residents in a Colorado nursing home are especially vulnerable, making it important to uphold public health standards and regulations to protect their safety. You need to hire a Greeley nursing home abuse lawyer for the welfare of your loved ones.

Care facilities, including nursing homes and other long-term care options, are entrusted with the well-being of elderly residents. That makes discovering that your loved one is suffering abuse or neglect in that nursing home even more devastating. After all, you trusted them to take care of your mother, father, or even grandparent with love and compassion.

At The Wilhite Law Firm, we understand how you’re feeling, and our personal injury lawyers in Greeley are here to fight for your loved one’s justice and dignity. We understand the importance of addressing elder abuse and holding negligent facilities accountable. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment plays a key role in regulating nursing homes and ensuring the safety of residents. When families suspect abuse or neglect in a care facility, immediate action is essential to protect their loved ones and prevent further harm. Call us today at 970-782-2392 or contact us online for a free consultation about how we can pursue compensation and justice for your loved one.

Warning Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

When you visit your loved one in a nursing home, you hope to see them happy, healthy, and thriving. However, there are many instances where you might feel something is off. It’s crucial to be able to recognize the signs of elder abuse so that you can act quickly. Be on the lookout for these common signs of elder abuse and neglect:

• Unexplained bruises, cuts, or fractures
• Frequent falls
• Evidence of restraints
• Burns
• Frequent ER visits
• Bedsores
• Dehydration
• Sudden weight loss or malnutrition
• Lack of proper hygiene or unsanitary living conditions
• Withdrawal or fearfulness
• Unusual financial transactions or missing belongings
• Changes to wills, power of attorney, or other legal documents
• Bills going unpaid

Nursing home residents who appear neglected or show signs of inadequate care and neglect may be at risk of abuse.

These are some of the most common indicators that elder abuse is taking place. However, these aren’t the only signs of abuse. If you see something that leads you to believe your loved one isn’t being cared for the way they should be, trust your gut. Staff members are often responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, and their actions should be closely monitored. Elder abuse is one of the most underreported crimes, and early reporting can save your loved one’s life. Contact a Greeley nursing home abuse attorney if this happens.

What to Do If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

It’s vital to act quickly when you suspect nursing home abuse, because you want to keep your loved one as safe as possible and end the abuse as quickly as you can. If you suspect abuse, it is important to take immediate steps to protect your loved one. However, you might be wondering what you should do. There are a few steps you can take to protect your loved one:

Keep Them Safe

You should remove your loved one from the facility as quickly as possible, especially if they are in physical danger. It’s important to remember how fragile an older person may be. You may need to temporarily house them or find a new nursing home immediately to ensure they receive proper care.

Document Evidence

Take photos of your loved one’s injuries. You should also take pictures of their living conditions. Document anything of medical importance as well, including medications being provided and dosages, especially if these don’t add up to what you know your loved one has been prescribed.

Report Abuse

No matter what kind of abuse you suspect your loved one has suffered, your next step should be to report it to Colorado Adult Protective Services or your local authorities.

Consult an Attorney

It’s important to seek proper legal advice. A skilled nursing abuse attorney in Greeley can help you understand your rights and guide you through the process of legal action. A nursing home abuse lawyer will understand the intricacies of elder law and local law in Greeley.

Any abuse of an elderly person must be taken seriously. Some nursing home abuse ends in fatality, depending on the type of abuse and the extent to which it’s happening. A nursing abuse lawyer in Greeley can help you hold the nursing home and any responsible parties held accountable for the pain and suffering of your family member. And, if the abuse led to their death, an attorney will help you prove that and seek compensation and justice for your departed loved one. Negligent parties must be held accountable to ensure all residents receive proper care and protection from abuse.

Compensation for Victims of Nursing Home Abuse

Your loved one has rights under Colorado law. If they’ve been harmed by the negligence or misconduct of others, one of those rights is the right to pursue compensation for the losses they’ve suffered. An experienced nursing home attorney can assess the value of your loved one’s nursing home abuse claim to determine how much compensation to demand from the at-fault party. A nursing home abuse claim can help the victim recover both economic losses, such as financial damages and medical bills, and compensation for emotional harm caused by abuse or neglect.

Securing fair compensation for all damages suffered is essential to help the victim and their family recover and move forward. In addition, if any financial losses or other economic losses were suffered as a result of the abuse, a lawyer can help you secure compensation for this theft as well. The nursing home responsible for the abuse and neglect should be accountable for all the losses that occurred due to its negligence.

Losses You Can Claim

You may be entitled to seek money for a variety of losses, including:

• Medical Expenses: If your loved one was physically or medically abused and requires treatment or rehabilitation, you can hold the nursing home liable for these costs, including medical bills.
• Pain and Suffering: Your loved one has likely been suffering either physical or emotional distress. Compensation may be available for this as well, including damages for emotional harm.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life: Diminished quality of life is an intangible loss, but it is a loss, all the same. For instance, if a senior who once enjoyed socializing or gardening can no longer participate in these activities out of physical inability or emotional suffering, this is loss of enjoyment of life.
• Wrongful Death: When the abuse suffered leads to a nursing home resident’s death, a wrongful death claim or lawsuit can be filed to seek compensation for funeral expenses and other losses the family suffered because of the death.

Pursuing a nursing home abuse lawsuit is a integral step in securing justice for the victim and their family. Experienced nursing home abuse attorneys in Greeley can guide families through the process of nursing home abuse claims to ensure all responsible parties are held accountable. Nursing home abuse cases are often handled on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not pay any legal fees unless compensation is recovered for your claim.

Common Defenses Nursing Homes Use

Nursing homes often use clever defenses to avoid taking responsibility and paying out any form of compensation to residents who suffer under their care. Nursing home negligence is often at the core of these defenses, as facilities attempt to deflect blame for their failure to provide adequate care. The goal is to downplay responsibility, shift blame, and minimize the extent of the abuse. Some common defenses used are:

• Denial: The facility may deny any wrongdoing, alleging that the abuse or neglect never took place. They may claim that the staff followed protocol and provided proper care.
• Blaming Pre-Existing Conditions: Another common defense tactic is to blame the symptoms of abuse on pre-existing conditions, including simple age-related decline.
• Claiming Unavoidable Accidents: Nursing homes may claim that incidents like falls, pressure ulcers, or medication errors are unavoidable accidents.
• Shifting Blame: Some facilities will try to place the blame on any other external party they can. This includes healthcare providers, visiting family members, or even other residents.
• Minimizing the Impact of the Abuse: If there is no plausible deniability, the facility may admit to a mistake. However, they will downplay its severity and insist that the resident was not seriously harmed.

Each of these defenses is common enough that an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer in Greeley will know how to respond effectively to them. Countering these defenses and demanding the proper compensation requires investigation, evidence, and sometimes expert opinions.

Why Choose The Wilhite Law Firm?

At The Wilhite Law Firm, we have over forty-five years of experience. Our law firm has recovered more than one billion dollars for our clients across Colorado, thanks to our experience and knowledge of Colorado law. Our team of nursing home abuse attorneys are skilled at handling nursing home abuse claims and ensuring the well-being of our clients and their loved ones. We handle all kinds of nursing home abuse cases, including:

• Physical abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Sexual abuse, including non consensual sexual contact
• Financial exploitation
• Neglect
• Abandonment
• Medication mismanagement

We are committed to protecting the well-being of your loved ones by ensuring they receive proper medical care and legal support from a skilled attorney.

Our nursing home injury lawyers in Greeley know how important our aging loved ones are. We’re ready to help you. If you suspect your loved one is suffering from nursing home abuse or neglect, don’t wait. Contact us at 970-782-2392. We will provide you with a free consultation so that we can review your case together. Our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers are here to help you handle this challenging situation and fight for the dignity your loved one deserves.