Nursing home abuse can cause serious physical and psychological trauma on vulnerable adults, jeopardizing their health and safety. In addition to the negative effects on a senior’s health and emotional well-being, staff at assisted-living facilities could exploit vulnerable residents and gain access to their credit cards and savings accounts.
If you have a loved one in danger at a nursing home or senior community, our Sandusky personal injury lawyers are ready to take action. We can help get your family member or friend to safety and seek compensation for the harm they endured.
At Tittle & Perlmuter, we are prepared to put in the work for your family because we believe Ohio’s seniors deserve dignity and respect in their golden years. For a free consultation with our nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers in Sandusky, OH, contact our law firm today.
Understanding Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect in Sandusky, OH
Nursing home abuse occurs when nursing home staff or medical professionals intentionally inflict harm on a resident. Residents may suffer physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, and/or emotional and psychological abuse. Nursing home staff may also neglect or abandon residents, which can exacerbate the risk of an accident occurring, such as a fall. A nursing home abuse lawyer can help you or your loved one pursue legal action to fight back when these acts occur.Â
Why the Law Takes Nursing Home Abuse Seriously
Abuse and neglect of nursing home residents is taken seriously in Ohio and is considered an actionable offense. Nursing home residents are often vulnerable to mistreatment since they are dependent on facilities for medical care and assistance.
Abuse and neglect are a serious breach of the facility’s duty to provide a high standard of care. A nursing home abuse attorney helps hold facilities accountable and provides legal guidance to help secure financial relief.Â
Recognizing the Common Signs of Elder Abuse in Long-Term Care Facilities
Understanding the signs of elder abuse in long-term care facilities is critical for catching these harmful acts early. Individuals who are over the age of 60 or those who have health conditions that require assistive care and do not have close familial support are most vulnerable. The sooner abuse is discovered and reported, the sooner individuals can get the care and support they need to improve their health and minimize the impact of what they have suffered. Some common signs of elder abuse include:
- Bedsores
- Malnourishment
- Isolation
- Weakness
- Deterioration of health or medical conditions
- Mood and behavioral changes
- Loss of weight
- Frequent falls from lack of assistance or medical equipment
- Seep challenges
- Sudden and significant financial changes
What to Do If You Notice Signs of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect
If you notice these or other signs of abuse, it is important to report it right away and contact a nursing home abuse lawyer. You can contact local law enforcement or file an elder abuse complaint with the Ohio Department of Health.
Mistreatment of residents is more likely to arise when facilities are chronically understaffed and corporate failures affect a region’s ability to provide care, so notifying law enforcement can also help shed light on facilities to help minimize the effects on other residents as well. It is also important to pursue medical care and alternative care options to ensure the individual’s safety.
The Legal Rights of Residents Under Ohio’s Elder Protection Statutes
Families have the right to submit healthcare facility and nursing home complaints and take legal action when long-term care facilities perpetrate abuse or neglect in resident care. These actions are violations of Ohio’s Nursing Home Resident Bill of Rights (Ohio Revised Code § 3721.13), which entitles residents to a clean and safe environment. These laws also ensure that a resident is treated with the dignity they deserve.Â
When hiring a nursing home abuse law firm, our team works hard to investigate these and other violations. When facilities violate the rights of residents, it can provide strong and powerful grounds for pursuing a civil liability claim against the facility and/or individual wrongdoer. Tittle & Perlmuter works hard to gather evidence to strengthen your claim so we can effectively hold at-fault parties accountable. Â
Compensable Damages in a Sandusky Nursing Home Negligence Claim
When pursuing a legal claim, a Sandusky lawyer for nursing home abuse can help take thorough stock of the various expenses and losses that you or your loved one experienced so that they can effectively negotiate a settlement. The cost of care and changing facilities can be expensive, and recovering damages from at-fault parties can help offset these costs and improve the well-being of survivors of abuse. Recoverable damages may cover economic and non-economic damages:Â
- Economic Damages: This form of compensation can offset the cost of concrete, financial expenses. As such, these damages can help cover the cost of emergency medical bills, ongoing care, cost of changing facilities, and loss of liquid financial assets.Â
- Non-Economic Damages: Enduring abuse is deeply traumatic and psychologically damaging. Non-economic damages provide financial resources to help offset a survivor’s pain and suffering, decreased quality of life, disfigurement, fear, and other related losses.Â
While compensation cannot undo the abuse that was perpetrated against you or your loved one, it can provide vital financial security afterward. Compensation can make it possible to find a safer nursing home facility and receive better medical care that can improve the safety, health, and well-being of the survivor. Work closely with an experienced nursing home abuse law firm to ensure maximum recovery under Ohio law.Â
The Action Window: Ohio’s Statute of Limitations for Elder Abuse Lawsuits
To file an elder abuse lawsuit and recover compensation, a claim must be filed within two years of the abuse or discovery of it, per Ohio Revised Code § 2305.10. You also have two years to initiate a claim if filing a wrongful death lawsuit, according to Ohio Revised Code §2125.02. Additionally, sexual abuse claims may be subject to different statute of limitations, so it is important to consult a nursing home sexual abuse lawyer if this applies to your circumstances.
Why It’s Best to Speak with a Lawyer ASAP
Each of these deadlines directly affects your rights in a case. Delayed actions can even affect the strength of your case, so it is important to hire a nursing home abuse attorney right away so they can start your claim and act quickly to preserve key forms of evidence, such as facility charts, staffing logs, and witness testimonies.
Documents can easily get lost, and memories can fade quickly, so early action can help you in your efforts to secure maximum compensation.Â
How Our Sandusky Elder Abuse Law Firm Protects Your Family
Tittle & Perlmuter are relentless in our pursuit of justice and accountability. We ensure that your family has an ally that can provide effective and consistent advocacy during a difficult time. We put your family first so your interests are protected. We’ll fight for you to reach a favorable outcome.Â
Our nursing home abuse law firm has extensive experience and a strong track record of securing results for our clients. We also ensure that representation is accessible by offering a contingency fee model so you pay no fee unless we win your case.
In addition, several of our attorneys have been recognized by Super Lawyers for their commitment to legal excellence.
Contact Our Sandusky Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Near You
Tittle & Perlmuter fight for you and/or your loved ones when your lives have been impacted by nursing home abuse. We are ready to go to work for you and hold abusers accountable for the serious wrongs they committed. To request a free consultation with our nursing home abuse lawyers in Sandusky, contact our law firm today.
