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Call us today to schedule a free case evaluation with an experienced nursing home elopement lawyer in West Palm Beach, FL. Our attorneys have experience in this area of law and can help you understand if abuse is occurring. However, if you suspect something is off, it is essential you act quickly. Regardless of the type of abuse, be aware of any changes in your family member’s behavior or emotional state. Subtle changes in your loved one, such as a lack of energy, can point to a larger problem.

The law requires nursing homes to care for residents in a way that respects and promotes individual dignity, choice and self-determination. Understaffing– If a nursing home does not have an appropriate staff-to-patient ratio, quality of care will decline. When there are too few staff members, they are unable to spend adequate time with each patient, which can lead to neglect, medication errors and other forms of abuse. Accidents do happen even when the facility is providing appropriate care. In this type of situation, however, it’s always important to follow up and make sure your loved one is being treated properly. Physical and sexual abuse are serious issues in Florida nursing homes.
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Emotional Abuse – includes acts that cause emotional harm to an elder, such as yelling, ridiculing, intimidating, scapegoating, blaming, and terrorizing. Physical Abuse – includes acts involving physical force that causes harm to an elder, such as hitting, shoving, biting, scratching, and inappropriate use of drugs or restraints. No matter where you’re at in the process or how recently the nursing home abuse happened, we’d love to hear about your case and help. I received excellent representation and could not be happier with my law firm. $550,000 settlement for the family of a neglected nursing home resident.

Laws surrounding assisted living centers and nursing homes vary by state. It’s important to work with an attorney who is very familiar with the laws of your state because they will be able to best help you navigate the legal system to your advantage. Our Florida nursing home abuse attorneys can provide you with the expertise required to successfully litigate your case. To prove negligence, you have to be able to specifically identify how the nursing home and/or its staff failed to meet the standard of care and prove that this failure caused you to be injured. Generally, nursing homes are liable for legal violations by their doctors and staff members as long as the person is acting within the scope of their employment at the time.
West Palm Beach Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
Physical abuse is, perhaps, the most obvious type of mistreatment. While seniors tend to bruise easily, you should question any unexplained injuries. Look for marks around the wrists or defensive marks on the hands. The defendant owed the plaintiff duty to exercise reasonable care. I have to say that anybody that I know that gets into an accident, I would definitely recommend Evan Fetterman.
A variety of federal and state laws require nursing home operators to provide a certain level of care to residents. These laws also make operators legally liable for any harm they cause when they do not live up to their responsibilities. The moment you suspect that abuse is occurring, document any evidence you can. Take photos of injuries or other physical warning signs, write down things the resident has told you or make notes about their state of mind and physical wellbeing. Gather any records you have access to that may indicate abuse.
Contact a South Florida Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Nursing home residents are often weaker and unable to fight back. It’s crucial for family members to be sensitive to the indications of elder abuse. Even if you are unsure about what’s happening, it’s smart to consult a reliable attorney to help you determine your best next steps. Under Florida’s Statute of Limitations, you have only two years to sue for nursing home abuse, starting from the date of the last known abuse incident. Though two years seems like ample time to bring a lawsuit, it’s vital to take action as soon as possible by getting an attorney’s help to preserve evidence. He began his professional career as Assistant State Attorney in Miami, Florida, prosecuting an extensive felony criminal caseload and tried forty jury trials with only 3 resulting in acquittals.
Nothing can be more devastating to learn that your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect at the hands of someone entrusted to render care and protection. Our law firm handles nursing home abuse and ALF neglect cases in all cities in Palm Beach County and throughout Florida. A. That really depends on the case facts and you, the client. Some cases resolve at the pre-suit mediation, which can take place 75 days after the Letter of Intent goes out. Other Palm Beach elder abuse cases take years to go to trial.
Fred Cunningham limits his practice to serious personal injury and insurance company coverage and bad faith litigation. He has obtained well over one hundred million dollars in settlements and verdicts for his clients. We are concerned about the safety and well-being of your loved one, and we want to help. Our lawyers firmly believe that nursing homes must be held accountable when negligence, intentional acts, and other wrongdoing causes patients to suffer harm. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case with a West Palm Beach nursing home abuse attorney.
Shiner Law Group helped me after my car accident and has been a huge help from the beginning. The team communicates well I was always able to speak with someone when i needed to. They were very helpful in getting all my medical bills paid when my insurance company wanted to stick them to me.
I was extremely satisfied with how the law firm dealt with my case and I would highly recommend this firm. If facility staff members aren’t vigilant about watching and/or helping residents with greater fall risks, then they may be guilty of negligence. A skilled attorney will use the evidence they’ve gathered to craft a compelling argument detailing why you or a loved one are entitled to compensation.

It can be difficult to know where to turn if you think a loved one has been abused in a nursing home. It’s important to quickly take steps to protect them from further harm. Financial predators often view nursing home residents as easy targets. FindLaw's Lawyer Directory is the largest online directory of attorneys. Browse more than one million listings, covering everything from criminal defense to personal injury to estate planning. Elopement is a term used by professionals in the long-term care industry to describe a situation where a patient or resident leaves the facility without supervision.
Here at the Philip DeBerard firm, we first ascertain whether your loved one needs immediate interventions, and if they do, we’ll help ensure they get what they need. We’ll also counsel you on your options under the law to demand accountability from the staff or management, and to claim the compensation you deserve for your losses. If you believe that your loved one is being mistreated, neglected, or abused in a Florida nursing home, contact Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney. The DeBerard office is a highly reputed firm serving The Treasure Coast &, and we’re well-equipped to protect the rights of your loved one, as well as yours. We ensure the resident is safe as we find the optimum strategies to hold the at-fault party accountable and get financial compensation for your family. A person dies due to nursing home abuse, certain family members have the right to take action by suing for wrongful death.

He has considerable experience in defending and prosecuting civil cases. Nursing homes and other similar care facilities must follow strictstate regulationsand federal laws. There are also numerous areas of law involved in many of these cases, including contracts, medical malpractice,personal injury, and sometimespremises liability.
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There are many forms of abuse and neglect that can be occurring at your loved one’s facility. Some of these are easy to spot, while others may be subtle and hard to see or to convince others that it’s happening. The lawyer may also interview former employees who can attest to the care facility’s practices and treatment of residents in general. An experienced attorney will be familiar with how to gather and present relevant evidence that supports your claims to the court.

Perpetrators of nursing home abuse can be held criminally liable for their actions in Florida. Your family also has the right to hold nursing homes financially accountable for abuse and neglect. While it’s useful to raise your concern to these offices, they are not the legal channel to get compensation for your medical fees, therapy expenses, pain and suffering, and other losses. To demand compensation, you’ll need to file a civil case against the wrongful party. Our experienced nursing home abuse attorneys in West Palm Beach can be your ally to help you recover what you deserve. When you notice these signs of nursing home abuse, you should contact an attorney as soon as you can.