Helping Someone Recover from Nursing Home Abuse

When we leave our loved ones in the care of a nursing home, we expect quality care that protects their health and safety. Unfortunately, many elderly residents find themselves suffering from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. 

This is a serious problem, and you might now be tasked with helping someone recover from nursing home abuse. This isn’t easy, but with the right attorney and tools, you can get your loved one the help he or she needs to recover from the pain and suffering that comes from nursing home abuse.

Know Their Rights to Recovery

Your first step will likely be to move your loved one to a safe location—either a different nursing home or your own home.

Once your loved one is away from that situation, it’s important to document any changes he or she might be experiencing. These include injuries and signs of emotional and mental distress. The victim has a right to be compensated for these damages, and it will be easier for you and an attorney to calculate the value of the damages if you keep careful records.

Also keep in mind that you’ll have a limited amount of time to file a claim. For a personal injury claim against the nursing home, you’ll need to file within three years, or the claim may be dismissed.

Compensation After Nursing Home Abuse

Once you and your elderly loved one are ready to file a claim, you’ll need to determine how much compensation you deserve. Nursing home residents with fragile health may suffer greatly at the hands of an abusive caretaker. That’s why you’ll need to determine what losses the victim has suffered—and how much money each is worth.

This should include both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover all financial losses, which should be calculable by adding the expenses and estimating future inputs, but non-economic damages will be more complicated.

With these damages, you’ll more than likely need a lawyer to properly calculate how much your loved one’s compensation should be. Because non-economic damages are not tied to a direct financial cost, they’re difficult to calculate.

The following are some common damages that abused nursing home residents might suffer:

• Current and future medical care
• Emotional trauma
• Economic losses due to financial abuse
• Loss of consortium

An Attorney Can Help with the Recovery

Has your loved one been hurt by those who should have cared for him or her? Are you unsure of what to do next? Contact Greenstein & Milbauer, LLP for help recovering compensation for your loved one’s suffering. Nursing home abuse is a serious issue, and your elderly loved one may need help getting the compensation he or she truly deserves.

If you believe your loved one needs help after an incident at a nursing home, take advantage of a free consultation with our firm. Give us a call at 1-800-VICTIM2 (842-8462) or check out our website.