Kingston Nursing Home Negligence Attorney

When your loved one moves into a nursing home or other type of residential care facility, you entrust the nursing home staff with the wellbeing of your family member. Unfortunately, abuse and neglect of elder care residents continues to be a problem across the country, and in many different types of residential facilities. To arrange a free consultation with our experienced nursing home abuse lawyer in Kingston, please call Shafran & Rock, PLLC, at (845) 383-1170.

Potential Nursing Home Abuse Injuries

Mistreatment of nursing home residents can be physical, sexual, verbal, emotional or financial. Your loved one may have broken bones, bruises or other physical injuries as a result of abuse. If the abuse is emotional, it may be harder to detect and could involve caretakers screaming at, taunting and intimidating your loved one. Neglect is another form of abuse, and it may involve withholding food, water or hygienic care, or allowing a patient to wander without proper supervision.

Bed Sores & Nursing Home Neglect

Bed sores are a completely preventable injury that should never be allowed to happen to any nursing home patient. Unfortunately, some negligent nursing homes allow bed sores, also known as decubitus ulcers, to develop and worsen without treatment.

Understanding How Nursing Home Neglect Causes Bed Sores

Bed sores are one of the most common consequences of nursing home negligence. Once these ulcers take hold, they are extremely difficult if not impossible to heal and can eventually prove fatal. The following are some of the circumstances that can cause bed sores to develop:

  • Failure to turn the patient: The main cause of bed sores is failure to turn bedridden patients often enough to prevent pressure from building up and cutting off blood flow to certain areas of tissue.
  • Failure to change sheets and diapers: When a patient is not cleaned up quickly enough after a loss of urinary or bowel control, the acids in urine and feces can drastically speed up the onset of bed sores.
  • Dehydration and malnutrition : Patients who have become dehydrated or malnourished — often as a result of negligence on the part of nursing home staff — are at a higher risk of developing bed sores more quickly.

 

Dehydration & Malnutrition

Nursing homes are entrusted with some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and one of their most important responsibilities is providing each patient with an adequate supply of nutrition and fluids. Unfortunately, some nursing homes do not live up to their obligations and put profits before patients instead.

Holding Nursing Homes Accountable for Neglectful Behavior

Nursing homes must follow careful procedures in order to make sure their patients are getting enough nutrition. When they do not do so, they may be putting patients at serious risk. The following are some of the major causes of dehydration and malnutrition in nursing homes:

  • Insufficient food budgets: Some nursing homes put profits above their patients to such a great degree that they do not provide enough food for their patients to gain adequate nutrition and maintain their weight.
  • Understaffing: Some nursing homes do not have enough nurses and aides on staff to provide appropriate assistance to patients who are not fully capable of feeding themselves. Over time, this can cause malnutrition as well as related problems such as bed sores and depression.
  • Inadequate monitoring: Nursing homes are supposed to monitor how much fluid patients — especially those who have trouble holding their bladders — are taking in and putting out. Failure to do so may result in dehydration.

 

At the law office of Shafran & Rock, PLLC, we believe this type of treatment is egregious and should never happen. We fight aggressively to pursue compensation for people who have suffered abuse and neglect at the hands of their caretakers – the very people responsible for their wellbeing and safety.

Understaffing and poorly qualified staff are common causes of this type of mistreatment. In some cases, nursing homes fail to perform adequate background checks and supervision of their staff members.

Fighting for Victims of Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence

If you are the victim of nursing home abuse, you should take immediate action to avoid further abuse. If you are in immediate, life-threatening danger, call emergency services. If you want to pursue compensation from your nursing home for injuries caused by abuse or neglect, please contact our lawyer. Mr. Rock can evaluate the details of your case and inform you of your options.

If you have a loved one who you believe or know is a victim or nursing home negligence or abuse, we can help you and your loved one pursue compensation for the losses and harm caused by the injury. Signs a loved one may be suffering abuse or neglect include:

  • Recurring physical injuries
  • Untreated bed sores
  • Broken bones
  • Emotional changes such as depression and anxiety
  • Withdrawal from others and social isolation

Nursing home abuse cases require the representation of a lawyer experienced with relevant state laws and with handling these types of cases.

If you are searching for an experienced nursing home abuse and negligence attorney in Kingston, please contact Shafran & Rock, PLLC, for a free case evaluation and to learn more about our experienced nursing home abuse attorney serving Kingston, New Paltz, New Windsor, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Middletown and the surrounding areas.