Abandonment
What Is Abandonment and How Is It Spotted?
Nursing home abandonment is when the nursing home staff stop providing adequate health care to their patients, without a reasonable amount of notice or without the patient’s consent. It can be very difficult to spot, and even harder to know what to do about it. That’s where we at The Husband & Wife Law Team come in. We’ve seen nursing home abandonment too many times, and we will stop at nothing to get you and your loved one the compensation you deserve. Call us today.
What Are Some Signs to Look For?
Nursing home abandonment can appear in many forms. Some include:
Failure to administer medication
Failure to assist in daily activities
Ignoring a patient who has fallen or tripped on the floor
Failure to regularly check on the patient and their well-being
Neglecting to get patient out of bed, leading to bedsores
Failure to instill safety measures, such as not raising safety rails on beds
Neglecting to change soiled clothing or sheets in a timely manner
Nursing home abandonment is very difficult to detect because often, elderly individuals don’t report it to their loved ones or anyone else. This can be for many reasons. Sometimes the patients simply aren’t aware of the level of care they’re supposed to receive, while others just don’t know that they’ve been abandoned. In other cases still, the individual is fully aware that they are being abandoned or neglected, but they feel shame and fear which keeps them from reporting the abuse.
If you suspect that a loved one is being abandoned, it’s important to ask them very clear questions about the level of care they’re receiving. Questions such as "How do you like it here?" or "Are the staff nice?" simply aren’t enough because the patient may gloss over the care, or the questions don’t directly address the abuse. Instead ask questions such as "How long are the nurses with you when they come in?" "When did you last receive a bath?" and "How long does it take to get a response when you ring for the nurses?"
What You Can Do
Once you determine that nursing home abandonment is, or was, happening, there are a few things you can do. First, you should ask the nursing home staff about the level of care they are providing. Of course, they’re going to do everything they can to assure that they are administering the right amount of care to your loved one. That’s why the next step is to ask to see their most recent health inspection report. Of course, you don’t want your loved one to stay in the nursing home while the abandonment case is ongoing so you’ll also want to move your loved one to another facility, if it’s at all possible.
Speak With a Nursing Home Abandonment Attorney Now
Even when your loved one is moved to another facility, you’ll still want to make sure they receive compensation for the damages or injuries they sustained due to nursing home abandonment in Phoenix. That’s where we at The Husband & Wife Law Team come in. We know the law regarding nursing homes, nursing home abandonment, and neglect. We’ll review your case free of charge, and let you know whether or not your case will hold up in court. We know how to prove neglect and abandonment, and we know that we can do the same for you. Don’t ever think there’s nothing you can do about nursing home abandonment. Call The Husband & Wife Law Team today. We are the experienced and qualified nursing home abuse attorneys that will help you and your loved one through this difficult time, and get you both the compensation you deserve.