Understanding the Top Nursing Home Neglect Risk Factors
Alabama nursing home neglect lawyer explains what to watch for
Do you suspect that you or a loved one is a victim of nursing home neglect? Not sure what to do? Often, there are warning signs that something's wrong. But you have to know what to look for in nursing homes. And you need to take action right away.
We can help you every step of the way. At Shuttlesworth Law Firm LLC, our experienced legal team knows what risk factors should cause concern for nursing home patients and their families. That's because we've been handling these kinds of cases for years.
Alabama attorney Perry Shuttlesworth and his talented legal team can investigate your concerns and help you pursue legal action. We have a strong track record and know how to effectively pursue positive results for our clients. Contact us to find out how we can help you.
Common warning signs
There are so many risk factors and warning signs of nursing home neglect families should watch for at their loved one's nursing home. Risk factors include:
- Unsanitary conditions – Do you often notice dirt or food on floors? Are there offensive odors in your loved one's room? These could be warning signs of neglect, which can result in infections or other health problems.
- Lack of staff members (understaffing) – If there are few people working in the nursing home, your loved one may not be receiving enough attention.
- Constant turnover among staff members – This could be a warning sign of a dysfunctional nursing home.
- Sudden decrease in number of patients – If there are suddenly fewer people living in your loved one's nursing home, you should be concerned that something may be wrong.
- Overcrowded nursing home – If too many people are living in the nursing home, your family member could be neglected due to overcrowding.
- Limited visiting hours – If your nursing home is trying to limit when you can visit, this could be a sign that something's wrong there.
- Lack of training – When staff members are not properly trained, it is less likely that all your loved one’s needs will be met.
These are just some of the risk factors and warning signs. There are many others you should watch for in your nursing home.
What to do next
If something seems wrong, do something. It's always better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to the care of you or a family member. We recommend taking the following steps:
- Have a doctor examine your loved one. Their life could be at risk.
- Contact our law firm as soon as possible. We can advise you on what to do.
- Take photographs of signs of neglect. Such evidence can be useful for your legal case.
- Contact the police. Tell them you suspect your loved one is being abused.
- Contact the Alabama Department of Public Health. They investigate these crimes.
Not sure what to do? Simply contact our law firm. We can help you from start to finish.
How we can help
Evidence builds strong cases. That's why we want to get straight to work on your nursing home neglect claim. Often, nursing homes will hide or destroy evidence as soon as they know they're being investigated. We can get straight to work on your claim and take legal action designed to prevent them from destroying evidence.
Many times, nursing homes agree to work with us once we present them with the facts. But if they refuse to cooperate, we're prepared to take them to court and fight for the justice your family deserves.
Remember, you didn't do anything wrong. Your loved one deserves to be treated with dignity and respect - and we can help. Schedule your free case evaluation today at our Alabama office. An experienced nursing home neglect attorney at our firm can work with you.
