Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

Placing your loved one in a nursing home is one of the most difficult decisions you and your family will make. Of course, you trust the nursing home to care for your family member with compassion, skill, and respect. Sadly, too many nursing home residents face abuse and neglect in their new homes.

Have you or a family member been abused in a Philadelphia, PA, nursing home? 

Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers has the expertise and resources to successfully navigate all types of nursing home abuse cases. Our lawyers have more than 80 years of combined legal experience, recovering over $50 million in compensation for our clients to date. 

We are available 24/7 to discuss your case. Call Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers at (215) 875-7030 for your free consultation with a Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyer. 

How Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help You With a Nursing Home Abuse Claim in Philadelphia

How Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help You With a Nursing Home Abuse Claim in Philadelphia

That someone would neglect or abuse a family member or loved one in a nursing home is unimaginable. That’s why our team of experienced legal professionals works relentlessly to hold nursing homes and individuals liable for wrongdoing. 

Our team at Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers has a proven track record as top-rated Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers. Numerous organizations, including The Philadephia Bar Association, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100, Super Lawyers, Newsweek, and The American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, recognize our attorneys for their outstanding legal services.

When you hire our award-winning Philadelphia personal injury attorneys, we take care of all matters related to your nursing home abuse claim, including: 

  • Exploring the circumstances that led to your loved one’s injuries while in a nursing home
  • Watching over investigations by local and state agencies
  • Obtaining copies of documents related to past investigations and inspections of the nursing home
  • Retaining leading industry experts to work with us on your case as necessary
  • Working with your family member’s physicians to document the extent of their injuries and damages 
  • Protecting your loved one’s safety, rights, and well-being
  • Filing all claims and handling all communication with the parties involved in the case
  • Negotiating with insurance companies and nursing home owners for a fair settlement
  • Filing a lawsuit and taking the case to trial if an adequate settlement can’t be made

When nursing home operators and staff violate a resident’s rights and subject them to abuse and neglect, they should be held accountable for their wrongdoing. At Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers, we are dedicated to leveraging the full resources of our law firm for you. 

Contact us to schedule a free case review with an experienced nursing home abuse attorney in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Together, we’ll work tirelessly to get justice for your family member. 

Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse in Philadelphia, PA

A nursing home resident may suffer more than one type of abuse. The most common types of nursing home abuse we’ve seen in a skilled nursing facility include:

  • Financial abuse, including stealing property and money, using fraud to obtain deeds and titles, forging financial documents, and coercing a patient into changing their estate documents 
  • Physical abuse, including slapping, kicking, shoving, pushing, restraints, choking and hitting
  • Neglect, like failing to provide adequate nutrition, hydration, access to health care, personal hygiene, and emotional support
  • Psychological abuse, including threats, isolation, yelling, and emotional abuse
  • Sexual abuse, including all undesired sexual conduct

Studies indicate that at least 10% of adults over the age of 65 will be the victim of elder abuse each year. But, because the victims cannot speak for themselves or are too afraid to tell anyone, neglect and abuse of these vulnerable elderly individuals are often underreported.

Common Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

It’s a sad fact that nursing home abuse often tends to be subtle. Facility staff might even threaten residents with harm if they tell anyone about the abuse. 

When you visit your loved ones, you can help protect them by watching for symptoms and signs of nursing home abuse. Signs of abuse can vary depending on the type of abuse, the extent of the abuse, and other personal factors. 

The most common signs of nursing home neglect and abuse can include things like:

  • Dehydration and malnutrition
  • Sudden loss of weight without good cause
  • Untreated or new medical issues
  • Poor hygiene, dirty clothing, and unsanitary conditions
  • Bed sores
  • Unexplained bruises, lacerations, fractures, and other injuries
  • Abrasions and bruising around the wrists and/or ankles 
  • Behavioral changes, like depression, withdrawal, rocking, uncontrollable crying, and more
  • Being unwilling to speak when nursing home staff is near
  • Facility staff refusing or reluctant to leave patients alone with family members or friends
  • Unexplained bleeding or bruising near the genitals, thighs, breasts, mouth, or anus
  • Presence of previously unknown sexually transmitted diseases

Visiting frequently and at different times of the day and week can assist you in spotting signs of abuse and neglect in the nursing home. Get in the habit of taking notes during each visit, making sure to record strange or unusual comments or behavior by staff members or residents. 

Why Does Nursing Home Abuse Happen in Philadelphia, PA?

There’s no excuse for neglecting or abusing a nursing home resident. Most of the nursing home abuse cases revolve around intentional actions and negligence. Specific causes might include:

  • Understaffing of nursing homes
  • Lack of staff training and supervision
  • Poor hiring individuals practices
  • Failure to conduct background checks for employees
  • Carelessness or laziness when caring for patients
  • Poor accountability and facility management
  • Underpaying nursing home staff
  • Failure to ensure patients receive timely medical treatment 

Our Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers exhaustively uncover the circumstances that caused your loved one’s injuries. We diligently pursue each piece of evidence to discover the facts that led to the abuse and neglect. Once we understand the abuse factors, we identify all responsible parties and work to hold them accountable for their part in the abuse. 

What Damages Are Available for a Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Claim?

Anyone who has a duty to provide care for a vulnerable adult, but allows that person to become injured or endangered, can face criminal charges. Pennsylvania’s personal injury laws allow nursing home residents to file a civil cause of action for monetary damages from the parties who injured them.  

Liable parties may include the nursing home owners, managers, staff, and medical professionals affiliated with the facility or your loved one’s care. You may be able to sue one or all of them for economic and non-economic damages. 

Types of damages in a Philadelphia nursing home abuse claim might include:

  • The cost of past and future medical care for the harm caused by the abuse
  • Reimbursing the costs to move the patient to a safe facility
  • Physical pain and suffering 
  • Emotional distress and mental anguish
  • Diminished quality of life
  • Loss of enjoyment of life

At times, a party’s conduct may be so outrageous that a jury imposes punitive damages. These types of damages punish a defendant for acting maliciously in harming someone. 

Proving Liability for a Nursing Home Abuse Case in Philadelphia 

Most nursing home cases are about intentional torts or negligence. To prove liability for a negligence claim, you must have evidence showing that:

  • The facility owed your loved one a duty of care to look after their needs and well-being
  • Through its actions or omissions, the facility breached the duty of care
  • That breach of duty is proven to be the direct and proximate cause of your loved ones’ injuries
  • Your loved one was harmed because of the breach of duty and is entitled to damages

Proving your case can be tough. Our lawyers at Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers are skilled in handling the investigation and gathering evidence to prove your case. By pursuing every lead, we strive to build a solid case against each responsible party that abused your loved one. 

What Does It Cost To Hire a Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Attorney?

Many residents in nursing homes don’t have the means to hire an attorney. In addition, finding money to pay a lawyer’s retainer to investigate a nursing home abuse case may cause financial hardship to the resident’s family as well.

That’s why our attorneys at Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. By working on a contingency fee basis, you and your loved one aren’t burdened with the responsibility to pay legal fees upfront. Instead, we only get paid when we win a settlement or judgment for you. 

By law and by agreement, our fees are a percentage of the amount recovered in your claim. 

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Nursing Home Abuse Claims in Pennsylvania?

A statute of limitations is a deadline that restricts the time available to file a claim or lawsuit. Even if you have a valid claim, the court can dismiss your lawsuit filed after the deadline expires.

Most Philadelphia nursing home abuse claims have a two-year statute of limitations. It should be noted, however, that exceptions may change this deadline – seeking legal advice quickly is always best. 

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys

It is contemptible to abuse anyone – especially a nursing home resident. At Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers, we are dedicated to obtaining justice for your loved ones by holding those responsible for their harm accountable for their actions. Reach out today to schedule your free case review with an experienced Philadelphia nursing home abuse attorney. 

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