Baltimore Nursing Home Neglect Attorney

When to Talk to a Baltimore Nursing Home Neglect Attorney

When the time comes to move a loved one into a nursing home facility, you hope you never need to consult with a Baltimore nursing home neglect attorney. This process is both emotional and stressful even when you believe everything will go well, let alone having to consider a possible legal claim. However, if you believe that your loved one may be suffering from an injury or neglect, it is important to contact an experienced nursing home neglect lawyer quickly.

Why Choose Us

The Experience You Need and the Approach You Deserve

Before moving your family member into a care facility, you likely spent significant time and energy identifying the best possible location, one with a reputation for providing the highest quality of care. Learning that this was not the case is not only frustrating but also incredibly upsetting. Your family member was not appropriately cared for and has suffered.

Knowing what to do next can be difficult — after all, the laws governing nursing home care can be confusing, and you are under a great deal of stress. Engaging the services of an experienced nursing home lawyer, as quickly as possible, is important. You want the best possible representation in order to have your loved one compensated for their losses.

Choosing a Baltimore nursing home neglect lawyer is an important decision. You want to make sure the professional you choose has the right combination of knowledge and experience and also has an approach that works for you. The job they do will impact your loved one’s settlement.

Contact us today at 410-825-3161 to schedule a consultation. During this meeting we will learn more about your specific situation and share how powerfully we can support you. When you work with The Law Offices of Roger S. Weinberg you get the full benefit of all that our firm offers, including:

• Significant Experience: For more than 30 years, we have served the surrounding communities; in fact, we have investigated hundreds of nursing home neglect claims in Maryland.
• Stellar Reputation: Mr. Weinberg, who founded and was the first chairperson of the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association’s Nursing Home Litigation Section (now MAJ), is active nationally in nursing home and assisted living legal issues. He is well-known for educating other professionals on this topic.
• Proven Success: Our firm obtained a $1 million verdict against an assisted living facility in Hartford County, Maryland, due to their neglect of a patient. Our client testimonials speak to the satisfaction of those for whom we have worked.
• Hands-on Approach: We appreciate the emotions involved in nursing home cases, and we are well-known for the sympathetic manner in which we communicate with our clients. We handle all aspects of your case, from beginning to end, so you can focus your attention on your loved one.
• Free consultations: We believe it is important for you to meet us prior to engaging our services. At this time you will have a chance to see how we approach nursing home legal concerns. Additionally, you can learn how we will support you, and we will gain a better understanding of the issues at hand.

We are well aware of the damages that nursing home neglect and abuse can cause, and we believe that those responsible must be held accountable. Our team will work tirelessly on your behalf in pursuit of justice; our goal is to maximize your settlement to compensate your loved one for their losses.

Caring for Your Loved One Is a Priority

Nursing Homes Provide a Valuable Service

The reasons people need nursing home care are numerous and include:

• They no longer want to live alone.
• They are unable to care for themselves.
• Rehabilitation is necessary following a medical procedure or surgery.

Not everyone has family who live nearby and who are able to help care for them, especially if they are elderly and/or disabled. It is not surprising that nursing home care has become common as the population ages and more people suffer from chronic health conditions.

Prior to selecting a facility, you likely did considerable research and visited different locations.  You put your trust in the facility you selected, believing your family member could live a long and comfortable life there.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and your trust may have been misplaced. More often than we would like to believe, individuals in nursing homes are the victims of abuse and/or neglect. Your family member may have suffered at the hands of nursing home staff and management, sustaining an injury as a result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Responds to Your Most Pressing Concerns

If you are dealing with issues of nursing home neglect, it is not surprising that you have a host of questions. Not only are you worried about the well-being of your loved one, but you are also concerned as to how you should move forward.

Below we have shared the most commonly asked questions regarding nursing home abuse, along with our nursing home attorney’s responses.

• Why file a nursing home neglect lawsuit?
• What needs to be proven, at a minimum?
• How do you file a claim?
• What will it cost me?
• Who can file a nursing home neglect claim?
• Who can be sued?
• What is the value of my case?
• What can I do to assist my nursing home neglect attorney?
• What if an Arbitration Agreement was signed?

Understandably, the information shared above likely does not address the totality of your concerns. Please, reach out to us today to schedule a free consultation. During this meeting, we can learn more about your specific case and explain how we can best help you to get the settlement your loved one needs and deserves.

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Are Common Problems

A Poorly Run Nursing Home Can Threaten the Health and Well-Being of a Resident

While a well-run nursing home provides much-needed physical and emotional care, one that is poorly run can be detrimental to those who live there.  In cases like this, residents face considerable challenges.

One of the main issues impacting quality care is staffing. Understaffing in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities is a common problem, both in Maryland and throughout the country. Individuals who are elderly or disabled require significant attention and hands-on care. When facilities are not staffed appropriately, problems arise. It is important to pay attention to the care your loved one receives. There are a host of Signs and Symptoms of Elder Abuse in Maryland.

If you believe that neglect and abuse is an issue, there is a process for Reporting Nursing Home Negligence in Maryland.

Examples of nursing home neglect that a nursing home lawyer could help you with include:

• Alzheimer’s patients: Those with this degenerative brain disease suffer from dementia and loss of memory. They may become agitated and disoriented, get lost, and wander away. Poorly trained or overwhelmed staff may not know how to properly handle someone with Alzheimer’s disease and inappropriately restrain them. To compound matters, if security is not up to par, residents may wander away and become injured.
• Dementia patients: These residents require special treatment because of their loss of memory, cognitive, and physical functions. Untrained staff members may not be able to cope with the challenges they present. They may  lash out, abuse the resident or simply avoid them and not provide the care they need.
• Nutritional neglect: Nursing home residents have specific dietary needs in order to maintain their health. In some cases, food may be unpalatable or inappropriate for the resident.  Additionally, If the individual cannot feed himself, staff members may not devote enough time to assisting at meals to ensure the person is getting sufficient nutrition.
• Resident-on-resident abuse: Residents don’t suffer only at the hands of nursing home employees. Resident-on-resident abuse can occur when someone who presents a danger to others is admitted, either in error or simply to fill a bed and generate income. This resident may not be sufficiently supervised or receive the proper care, resulting in the verbal, emotional, physical, and/or sexual abuse of others.
• Bedsores or pressure ulcers: If a resident struggles with mobility and spends a great deal of time sitting or lying down, bedsores can develop. They are caused by excessive pressure on the resident’s skin and flesh, often because the staff isn’t shifting or moving the person regularly. These sores can become infected and can be potentially life-threatening.
• Physical injuries: A resident can suffer injuries for many reasons. He or she may have been assaulted by a staff member or another resident. Additionally, if a resident needs to be lifted out of their bed or chair and it is not done properly, the resident could fall and suffer a host of injuries.
• Falls & liability: A person who is elderly or disabled may be more likely to fall, but that doesn’t mean a nursing home isn’t responsible for the resulting injuries. If the resident trips over something, is pushed by another resident, or is overmedicated, loses balance, and falls, the facility may be responsible. A facility must have a proper care plan to prevent falling. A Baltimore nursing home attorney can help prove this liability.
• Medical neglect: Nursing homes have an obligation to provide residents with proper medical care. Failure to recognize and/or appropriately treat a condition may result in lasting harm and even death.
• Sexual abuse: Residents may fall victim to sexual predators who are employees, residents, or visitors. These victims either didn’t consent to the sexual contact or lacked the mental capacity to consent. This kind of abuse can lead to fear, anxiety, and depression, and may cause physical injuries and sexually transmitted diseases.
• Employee abuse: Some people simply shouldn’t be working in a nursing home. This includes those who vent their frustrations on nursing home residents by abusing them or those who simply enjoy inflicting pain on vulnerable and defenseless people. Abuse by employees can include physical, emotional, and sexual, as well as financial, exploitation.
• Medication mismanagement: It’s very common for nursing home residents to be given either the wrong medications or the correct medications but in the wrong dose or at the wrong time. This can lead to serious complications or progression of the condition that is supposed to be treated.

If you fear your loved one has been subjected to neglect, you should be aware of many signs and symptoms. They can be physical (unexplained bruises, broken bones, or weight loss) or psychological (being fearful, detached, and hesitant to answer questions). If you think neglect or abuse is the case,  you should report it to the facility’s management and call Baltimore nursing home neglect attorney Roger Weinberg.

The Time to Call a Maryland Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer

Things are not always as they appear, and nowhere is this more true than in nursing homes. Some find that what appears to be a safe and caring facility, staffed by qualified and motivated employees, is actually more like a warehouse for the elderly and disabled. Staff is stretched thin and employees can be stressed, uncaring, and at times even abusive. Residents don’t receive proper care, suffer infections, fall because they aren’t properly supervised or because fall precautions weren’t in place, wander off the property, or even abuse one another.

If you and your family are in this situation, don’t feel embarrassed. You made the best decisions you could and relied on people who were supposed to help you. Instead, you should take action to help your loved one end the neglect, find a safe place where he or she can live, and contact our office. Talk to our Maryland nursing home neglect lawyer to learn how those responsible for this situation can be held accountable and how compensation for injuries can be obtained.

TALK TO OUR NURSING HOME NEGLECT LAWYER

Nursing Homes Can Be Held Accountable for Negligent Actions and Failures to Act

Nursing homes are governed by Maryland laws. And, they can be held legally responsible for harm to a patient if it can be shown that harm was caused by the facility’s negligence. Personal injury and medical malpractice lawsuits are types of negligence actions that can be filed against a nursing home operator. All negligence claims have four elements that the plaintiff has the burden to prove.

In a case involving possible neglect by nursing home staff, the plaintiff would need to prove these things in order for negligence to be declared.

• The nursing home had a duty of care to the resident.
• That duty was breached when the facility failed to act as a reasonable facility would have acted under similar circumstances.
• The facility’s conduct caused harm both legally and factually.
• The patient suffered an injury or death that under the law can be compensated.

Common occurrences that can lead to a nursing home neglect lawsuit include the failure to do the following:

• Provide appropriate medical or nursing treatment
• Maintain adequate health and safety policies
• Keep the facility free of hazards that may cause falls
• Hire a sufficient number of qualified employees
• Adequately supervise residents and staff
• Provide sufficient security in order to keep residents safe.

Clearly, there are a number of things that can go wrong. Nursing home facilities are responsible for maintaining a safe environment and providing quality care for their residents. When they don’t, they can and should be held accountable for their actions.

Our Nursing Home Attorney Can Help You

Don’t Wait – Act Soon

If you believe your loved one has been injured at a nursing home, it’s important to act. It may not be easy to know what happened, especially when your family member has difficulty communicating. Immediately after you contact our office we will start an investigation which may prevent evidence from being lost or destroyed and will allow us to interview witnesses while they’re still available. This could lead to evidence that could be used to prove what happened, what needs to be done to prevent it from happening again, and whether the nursing home is at fault.

Additionally, a medical malpractice claim has a limit of three to five years, depending on when the injury was discovered. Clearly, time is of the essence, and waiting could negatively impact your case. Contacting a Baltimore nursing home neglect attorney as soon as you suspect an issue is in the best interests of both you and your loved one.

Our Nursing Home Lawyer: Sympathetic Communication and Aggressive Litigation

Let’s face it, If your loved one has been hurt by the very people you employ to care for them, they deserve to be compensated for their losses. This dereliction of duty is both harmful and heartbreaking. The elderly deserve our respect, not mistreatment.

We appreciate the stress this has put on you and will handle your case appropriately. Our team is known for the manner in which we communicate with our clients, particularly victims of abuse and neglect. We take the time to make them comfortable and make it a point to fully understand their perspective. That said, when it comes to negotiating and litigating your case, we assume a radically different persona. We fight aggressively to hold negligent individuals and organizations responsible and to obtain the appropriate compensation. We have handled cases like this for years, and we have a proven reputation for success.

Reach out to our nursing home attorney today to schedule a free consultation and learn just how powerfully we can support you.

Contact Our Baltimore Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

We Are Ready to Begin Work on Your Case Immediately

The Law Offices of Roger S. Weinberg is a recognized elder abuse litigation law firm that focuses primarily on holding nursing homes and assisted living facilities accountable for their negligent actions. Our founding attorney, Roger S. Weinberg has fought for individuals in your position for more than 30 years. We are committed to advocating for the elderly.

If you believe your family member is being abused or neglected, call our office at 410-825-3161 from anywhere in Maryland, or complete our contact form. Our Maryland nursing home neglect lawyers have been practicing in this area for decades. We know the rights of nursing home patients and the legal obligations of these facilities, and we understand how the nursing home industry works

Our Baltimore nursing home neglect attorney recognizes that while there are many facilities that do a respectable job, there are just as many that do not — and it’s the vulnerable, elderly residents who pay the price. We understand that representing neglected nursing home residents and their families is an important responsibility. Our clients hire us because they need someone on whom they can rely — after all, their nursing home violated the trust they put in them. We earn our clients’ trust each and every day.

Client Testimonial

”My siblings and I were given a recommendation to seek the services of Roger Weinberg. We are so glad we heeded that advice. Mr. Weinberg accepted our case and guided and directed us through the legal process. He was candid with us while being very mindful of our feelings as we were grieving the loss of our beloved 89 year-old mother due to wrongful death.” – Stephanie Hayes (Google Review)