Tragically, abuse and neglect are far too common occurrences at nursing homes and assisted living facilities. If you suspect your loved one is being harmed by an employee, another resident, or the negligent policies of their elder care facility, the Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at Morelli Law Firm can help.
Our legal team will thoroughly investigate your claims and work to protect your family member’s rights and well-being. Our nursing home abuse lawyers in Philadelphia can fight to recover financial compensation on your family member’s behalf so you can get them the care they deserve and move forward.
Holding Negligent Facilities Accountable
When a loved one suffers harm due to nursing home negligence or abuse, the facility must be held fully accountable. This not only allows your family to recover compensation but it also:
- Punishes the negligent facility and owners through financial penalties
- Incentivizes better hiring, training, staffing levels, and procedures
- Exposes wrongdoing and failures in care to enact broader reforms
- Delivers justice and validation for the harm and trauma experienced
Large nursing home corporations often try to downplay or cover up incidents to protect their profits and reputations. Our attorneys push back aggressively to uphold your rights and advocate for real change to make these environments safer.
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877-751-9800Common Signs of Abuse and Neglect
Sadly, elder abuse and neglect in care facilities is vastly underreported. Residents often can’t communicate what they’re experiencing, don’t want to be seen as complainers, or fear retaliation. That’s why it’s so important for loved ones to be vigilant about any potential signs of mistreatment, including:
- Unexplained injuries like bruises, cuts, burns, or fractures
- Bed sores or other preventable skin conditions
- Sudden weight loss or dehydration
- Poor hygiene or sanitation
- Changes in mood or emotional withdrawal
- The resident seems fearful or anxious around certain staff
Abuse isn’t always physical, either. Other red flags may indicate emotional abuse, financial exploitation, or a violation of the resident’s rights and dignity. Pay close attention and listen to your gut – you know your loved one best.
Common Types of Elder Abuse in Care Facilities
Unfortunately, abuse can take many different forms in nursing homes and long-term care settings. Some of the most prevalent issues our experienced nursing home injury lawyers in Philadelphia see include:
- Physical abuse and assault by staff or other residents
- Sexual abuse, molestation, or rape
- Psychological and emotional abuse through threats, insults, or intimidation
- Financial abuse by stealing money, misusing funds, or property transfer schemes
- Neglect leading to preventable injuries, poor sanitation, malnutrition, dehydration
- Overmedicating, incorrect medication administration, or withholding medications
- Violations of dignity and personal rights like restricting visitors or censoring communications
No amount of understaffing or management failures can excuse the mistreatment of vulnerable elders. Nursing home staff and administrators of long-term care facilities have legal duties to protect residents and uphold the proper level of care, and abuse is never acceptable.
Contact our Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers today
877-751-9800How Can a Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Help Me With My Claim?
Discovering that a loved one has been subjected to nursing home abuse is heartbreaking, infuriating, and deeply concerning. You need a powerful legal advocate on your side to uphold your family member’s rights and interests.
A skilled Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyer from Morelli Law Firm can:
- Thoroughly investigate the abuse/neglect through records, interviews, and independent medical examinations
- Document evidence and identify all potentially liable parties (facility, corporate owners, staff, etc.)
- Help ensure your loved one receives proper medical care, relocation to a safe environment, and protection
- Handle all communications and negotiations with insurance companies and facility lawyers
- Pursue claims for compensatory damages like medical costs, pain/suffering, punitive damages
- Take your case to court if negotiations fail to achieve a just outcome
During this difficult process, we ensure you have compassionate legal support every step of the way. Our nursing home abuse team is well-versed in applicable laws and tactics facilities use to avoid liability.
Damages You Can Recover in a Nursing Home Abuse Case
If the evidence shows a nursing home allowed abuse or was negligent in their duty of care, your loved one may be entitled to compensation for:
- Medical bills for treating injuries and conditions
- Relocation or transfer costs to a safer care facility
- Ongoing medical monitoring, therapy, and future care needs
- Pain and suffering, mental health impacts, emotional distress, loss of dignity
- Punitive damages in some cases to further penalize egregious misconduct
Our Philadelphia nursing home lawyers calculate both economic damages, like bills and costs, as well as non-economic damages, like pain and suffering. Every loss gets carefully evaluated with medical experts’ insight.
We aim to not only recover maximum financial compensation but to also facilitate improved care and nursing home accountability through the legal process.
Why Choose Morelli Law Firm for Your Abuse Claim?
Cases involving abuse and neglect in elder care facilities are highly complex, and you may find yourself facing teams of corporate lawyers and multiple insurers. The attorneys at Morelli Law Firm have:
- Decades of combined experience handling injury and abuse cases
- Extensive knowledge of nursing home laws and regulations
- A track record of multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements
- Access to respected medical experts to evaluate injuries/conditions
- Resources for thorough investigations into misconduct
We pursue every claim with compassion as well as determination to make things right. You can count on our team to advocate tirelessly while providing caring legal support.
Types of Elder Abuse
Elder abuse is both a tort and a crime. If you believe your loved one is a victim of elder abuse, it is important to hire a skilled nursing home abuse attorney to hold the abuser accountable for their actions.
There are a number of ways that the elderly can be taken advantage of and abused. Our attorneys are familiar with all the forms that nursing home abuse can take and will be able to build a claim for you and your loved one, no matter how complex or severe their situation is. Types of nursing home abuse include:
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse can include restraining residents or using excessive force, which can result in bruises, broken bones, and lacerations. If your loved one is hospitalized due to an injury, it is important to speak with their doctor to learn about the details of their injuries.
A condition like dementia can make it hard for your loved one to express how their injuries occurred, but talking to their doctor can help you determine if their injuries were the result of an accident or an intentional act. Acts of physical abuse may have been documented if the nursing home had surveillance cameras.
Further, Medication errors or administration of the wrong medications can be more than just a mistake. It’s important to take signs of neglect and physical injuries seriously and contact a Philadelphia nursing home elder abuse lawyer when you begin to suspect your loved one is being harmed.
Verbal Abuse
Nursing homes must respect residents, which means verbal abuse is not tolerated. Verbal abuse can involve threatening or demeaning statements. Psychological abuse can leave emotional scars and result in mental illness. It can also cause chronic depression, anxiety, and trauma.
If you suspect that your loved one is suffering from verbal abuse, a nursing home abuse attorney in Philadelphia from Morelli Law Firm can help. They’ll hold the offending party liable for the psychological damage they’ve caused.
Financial Abuse
Nursing home care facility residents are at an increased risk of experiencing financial abuse. Residents are sometimes incapable of safely storing their checkbooks and bank cards. Individuals take advantage of nursing home residents because they are less likely to notice unauthorized transactions on their bank statements or that their bank cards are missing.
Exploitation is another common form of financial abuse, as abusers may trick senior citizens and nursing home residents into providing compensation for services that they are not required to pay for.
One way to protect your loved one from financial abuse is to occasionally monitor their bank accounts and check for unauthorized transactions.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse in nursing homes can be devastating for residents and their families. It can involve any unwanted sexual contact, advances, or behavior. Signs of sexual abuse may include unexplained injuries, emotional withdrawal, or sudden changes in behavior.
If you suspect your loved one is a victim of sexual abuse in a nursing home facility, it’s important to take immediate action by contacting an experienced lawyer.
Rights That All Nursing Home Residents Have in Philadelphia
All nursing home residents in Philadelphia have rights provided by the Department of Health, the Department of Welfare, and the contract they signed with their care facility. These rights protect them from physical and emotional abuse. If they’re violated, the nursing home can be held responsible for the losses inflicted.
If your family member’s nursing home receives money from Medicaid or Medicare, they are also legally required to follow federal laws under 42 U.S. Code § 1396r, “Requirements for Nursing Facilities.” Over 90% of nursing homes in the U.S. receive government funding, so it’s likely that your loved one’s nursing home is beholden to these regulations.
If a nursing home abuse attorney finds that your loved one’s care facility has failed to abide by government regulations or their contract, they can demand that the facility provide compensation for the damage their negligence has caused.
How to Report Nursing Home Abuse
If you notice any of the warning signs of nursing home abuse the next time you visit your loved one, it’s important that, in addition to filing a claim, you report the care facility to the appropriate government entity. You can file an official report by calling the Department of Health or by filling out a complaint form on their website.
Once a complaint is filed, the Department of Health will investigate your family member’s care facility to verify your allegations. If they find that the nursing home is guilty of neglect or abuse, they may initiate a criminal investigation.
Legal Deadline for Filing a Nursing Home Abuse Claim in Pennsylvania
Hiring a nursing home abuse attorney as soon as you recognize the signs of elder abuse is the best way to ensure that your loved one gets the compensation they need to recover. That’s because there’s a statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims in Philadelphia.
According to Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 42 §5524, you have two years from the date of your family member’s injury to file a claim. If you don’t file before the legal deadline, it’s highly likely that the court will dismiss your case and leave your loved one without the payment they need to return to a normal life.
Wrongful Death Nursing Home Abuse Cases in Philadelphia
If your loved one has passed away due to injuries sustained at their nursing home, you deserve to seek compensation for their unjust suffering and loss of life. Our nursing home lawyers in Philadelphia understand the pain you must be feeling, which is why they’re prepared to handle the entirety of your wrongful death claim so that you can focus on mourning.
After the death of a loved one, pursuing a claim might seem emotionally exhausting, but it’s imperative that you act fast if you want to bring the guilty party to justice. That’s because there’s a legal deadline for filing a wrongful death claim in the state of Pennsylvania.
According to Title 42 § 5524, you have two years from the date of your family member’s passing to file a claim. Failure to act within the state-sanctioned timeframe will bar you from receiving compensation. An experienced attorney can make sure your claim is filed on time so that you can pursue the following wrongful death damages:
- End-of-life treatment costs
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of income (if you depended on the deceased)
- Punitive damages
No-Cost Legal Representation for Nursing Home Abuse Victims
We believe that all victims of nursing home neglect or abuse deserve adequate legal counsel and representation. That’s why our nursing home abuse attorneys are willing to represent your loved one for a contingency fee. That means they’ll work for a portion of your family member’s compensation.
If they lose the case, your loved one won’t be on the hook for any out-of-pocket fees. Contingency-fee is a great way to get access to the legal services your loved one needs if they don’t have the means to hire an attorney.
Contact a Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Law Firm for a Free Consultation
If you believe a loved one has been the victim of abuse, neglect, or mistreatment by a nursing home or care facility, don’t wait to get legal help involved. Speaking with an attorney is free and allows you to understand all your options for protecting your family member’s rights.
The dedicated Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers at Morelli Law Firm will review your potential case at no cost or obligation. We can then advise what claims exist and how to proceed toward recovering compensation and holding any negligent parties accountable
Your loved one’s welfare is too important to risk waiting. Contact us today to schedule a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation. Let us fight for the justice and validation your family deserves.
Call or text 877-751-9800 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
