Call Us atNursing homes are meant to protect and help their residents who are vulnerable due to their age, mental condition, physical condition, or a combination thereof. When an elderly loved one is forced to endure abuse or neglect at the hands of staff or ownership, this unacceptable situation may be remedied through a lawsuit from a determined personal injury attorney. Financial compensation can help hold the defendant responsible while compensating the injured parties.
Elder abuse should not go unanswered. An Anchorage nursing home abuse lawyer is prepared to step in and help you with this legal challenge.
How Nursing Home Abuse Occurs
If an elderly or other vulnerable person is living in a nursing home, their rights and health deserve the proper protections. Staff and management of nursing homes are required to provide these protections and ensure a safe environment for their residents. Nevertheless, nursing home neglect remains far too common. Different types of abuse can cause varying levels of harm, but each is unacceptable considering the vulnerability of these patients. The following are just a handful of examples that nursing home abuse attorneys see on a regular basis:
- Emotional distress and anguish
- Sexual abuse
- Financial exploitation
- Unnecessary and unlawful confinement of residents
- Isolation from family members without cause
- Passive neglect
- Deprivation of needs
- Unsafe environment
- Lack of proper safety measures or equipment
These potential dangers, and many more, may lead to serious physical or psychological injury for a resident of a nursing home. Depending on the harm that resulted, certain damages may be requested with the aid of an Anchorage nursing home abuse lawyer.
Looking for Signs of Abuse and Neglect in Nursing Homes
There are often signs and signals that abuse may be occurring to a loved one in a nursing home. Some may be obvious, while others may be harder to detect, but they can indicate that something larger is happening behind closed doors. Some common examples are:
- Malnutrition and dehydration
- Staff refusing access to family visitors
- Resident constantly losing possessions
- Sudden financial changes or alterations to a will
- Venereal disease
- Abnormal behavior that is not medically expected
- Unexplained sprains, breaks, bruises, or other injuries
Any of these signs could be indicative of abuse and should be immediately reported to the proper authorities. A nursing home abuse attorney in Anchorage could help notify the police and, at the same time, begin investigating the situation for a potential lawsuit. Pictures and other evidence of the abuse or neglect should be taken and preserved as soon as it is identified.
Filing an Elder Abuse Claim Before the Statutory Deadline
Under Alaska Stat. § 09.10.070, most nursing home abuse cases are subject to a statutory deadline of two years. Known in the legal world as the statute of limitations, this deadline requires the case to be filed in time, or else the potential for compensation will be lost. To avoid this potential situation, a plaintiff should consult with an attorney as soon as the nursing abuse is suspected or known. The longer a person waits, the more likely it is that the abuse could go unanswered and that the statute of limitations runs out, which is why working with an attorney is paramount.
Pursue Your Legal Options by Consulting an Anchorage Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Your loved one should not have to endure mistreatment, and you have the power to put an end to it. By holding the facility accountable, you could be helping many other residents who are experiencing the same thing. These types of cases have many nuances and complexities that must be handled properly. Call an Anchorage nursing home abuse lawyer to learn how best to approach a lawsuit.
