A Peabody nursing home abuse lawyer can support your family if you suspect a loved one experienced neglect or abuse in a care facility. We understand the emotional pain and suffering associated with this form of abuse and want to help your family recover.
Our team at Jason Stone Injury Lawyers has over 20 years of experience in resolving legal issues and recovering damages for personal injuries, abuse, and wrongful death. We can draw on this experience to assist your family.
Call or complete our online contact form for help from a Peabody personal injury lawyer.
Why Contact Us After an Act of Nursing Home Abuse?
We understand that the discovery of nursing home abuse or neglect can have devastating effects on families, and we’re here to help you through this difficult time.
If you believe your loved one was a victim of abuse in their long-term care facility, our legal team at Jason Stone Injury Lawyers can give you the help and personalized support you need as part of our Stone Cold Guarantee®.
We have over 20 years of legal experience handling claims in Massachusetts and recently brought a family $490,000 in compensation after a deadly instance of nursing home neglect. You can explore other examples of our work through our verdicts and settlements.
How We Help With Peabody Nursing Home Abuse Cases
Since 2004, our lawyers have addressed the needs of people affected by nursing home abuse. We can help you document injuries and gather evidence of what happened.
We can also explain how to report nursing home abuse in Massachusetts. Next, we can help you pursue financial relief for:
Pain and Suffering
Massachusetts state law allows you to seek non-economic damages in nursing home abuse cases. The court doesn’t use this compensation to offset financial losses. Instead, it covers the emotional pain and anguish your loved one may feel.
Our team understands that nursing home abuse damages more than a person’s finances. Your dear loved one may be traumatized, confused, and mistrustful after a nursing home abuse incident involving financial abuse, emotional abuse, or sexual abuse.
With this in mind, civil courts might order the responsible party to pay money to the abuse victim. The court may also charge the abusers with a crime. If found guilty, they might be required to pay money to acknowledge your family’s losses.
A Lawyer Can Help After a Fatal Act of Nursing Home Abuse
You can count on a Peabody wrongful death lawyer from our firm to treat you with the care your family needs after an instance of fatal abuse or neglect.
Losing a loved one is never easy, but it can be especially painful when it is due to neglect or abuse. Our abuse lawyers have learned how to help our clients regain peace of mind. We identify injustices and impose punitive damages on those who abuse older adults.
We’ll provide you with legal representation throughout the legal process so you can focus on caring for your family’s emotional needs during this challenging time.
Should You Worry About Nursing Home Abuse in Peabody?
Facilities like CareOne at Peabody and Pilgrim Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center make promises to care for nursing home residents. However, abuse can happen at any care home.
An estimated 22 percent of Medicare beneficiaries experienced adverse events in skilled nursing facilities. The study determined that many accidents and adverse events are “preventable,” confirming the need to pay closer attention to nursing home safety.
Nursing home abuse is a real danger to Peabody residents who depend on caregivers. Elder abuse encompasses:
- Physical abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Financial abuse
- Neglect
About 10% of adults aged 60 or older have been the victim of some type of abuse. Therefore, you should also focus on ensuring your loved one has a safe environment in a care facility.
What Are Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?
The Administration for Community Living urges family members to “learn to spot the red flags” of abuse. When you visit your loved one in a nursing home, be on the lookout for abuse warning signs. Ask yourself:
- Does my loved one seem uncharacteristically depressed, confused, or withdrawn?
- Is he or she isolated from others for non-medical reasons?
- Are there unexplained bruises, burns, scars, or welts on their skin?
- Does my loved one look dirty, underfed, or dehydrated?
- Is my loved one off their meds or overmedicated?
- Is medical care delayed or absent when my loved one has a health concern?
- Do they suffer from bed sores or other preventable conditions?
If you have noticed one or more of the above warning signs, your family member may face abuse from the ones you hired to protect them. The nursing home abuse lawyers on our team work relentlessly to help victims of nursing home abuse and their families.
The last thing you may want to do is hire a lawyer or go to court, but negligent and abusive assisted living facilities may leave you little choice. If your loved one is facing abuse, the situation is unlikely to resolve itself.
We are here to help. Our Peabody nursing home abuse lawyers want you to feel comfortable telling us your story. Contact us for a free consultation in any way that works best for you. We’re available by phone, video call, email, or in person.
Are Nursing Homes Responsible for Neglect and Abuse?
When a nursing home accepts a new resident, it becomes responsible for the person’s well-being. According to Harvard Business Review, accountability is not about blame. It is about delivering on a commitment.
Nursing home personnel must care for patients according to their duty to the best of their ability. The consequences of abuse and neglect are clear. Local agencies assess the quality of care provided by these homes.
Peabody nursing home abuse lawyers can also support existing systems by using civil laws to identify abusive homes and hold them accountable for their actions. We’re ready to provide you with legal advice about how you can sue a nursing home for negligence.
How do Nursing Homes React to Abuse Accusations?
Eldercare homes sometimes make immediate changes to improve conditions when they learn of existing issues. Unfortunately, some facilities need stronger motivation to rectify long-standing abuse concerns. They may try to hide the abuse or downplay what happened.
In those cases, our competent abuse attorneys use legal processes to protect your loved one and bring your family fair compensation. Peabody nursing home abuse lawyers collect evidence to build strong claims for clients like you and may focus on the following:
- Questioning any eyewitnesses
- Going over reports from the care facility
- Looking for photos or videos that show the incident
- Working with nursing home abuse specialists
An experienced lawyer can effectively use this evidence when taking legal action.
How Will a Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Resolve Your Claim?
More often than not, nursing home abuse cases do not settle out of court. You may have to go to court for your nursing home abuse case if the insurance company representing the home refuses to treat your family fairly.
Our team has the experience and knowledge to protect your nursing home abuse claim. Our personal injury law firm can negotiate with insurance companies and nursing facility representatives on your behalf.
A Peabody nursing home abuse lawyer can help your family file a lawsuit if the facility refuses to agree to a fair settlement after a family member experiences any type of abuse.
How Long do You Have to File a Legal Claim?
Massachusetts law allows you only a limited window of time to pursue an abuse settlement.
This deadline is called the statute of limitations. In Peabody, you have up to three years to file for nursing home abuse claims. A lawyer has an easier time building a solid case when the evidence is fresh, so consider contacting our attorneys this week.
Contact us now to learn more about the Massachusetts statute of limitations for nursing home lawsuits.
What does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Law Firm?
We handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, so you will only owe us attorney’s fees if we recover compensation on your behalf. You can count on us to put you first, respond promptly, and always answer all of your questions.
We review nursing home abuse cases for free to help you determine if we can build a case to prove your claim.
Your Loved One Deserves Compassion and Respect
Abuse is inexcusable. Peabody nursing homes must provide caring, skilled, and compassionate care for their residents.
Your loved one has the right to:
- Good hygiene and grooming, performed as independently as possible
- Support for daily living activities if unable to carry them out alone
- Accurate medication management
- Social interaction to promote mental and psychosocial health
- An environment as free of accident hazards as possible
What can you do if you suspect your loved one is not receiving dignified treatment? Contact our experienced legal team to investigate.
A Peabody nursing home abuse lawyer can help ensure nursing facilities follow state requirements by taking legal action against negligent facilities. At times, getting abuse attorneys involved is enough to motivate nursing home staff to take better care of residents.
Learn About Nursing Home Regulations in Peabody
Administrators and staff may try to justify neglect and abuse, but the law is clear about nursing home regulations in Massachusetts. Nursing home services must meet the following specific standards of reasonable care.
Staffing
Enough staff must be available to provide the services detailed in Massachusetts resident care plans. Being busy is no excuse for neglect or abuse. Each shift should assign care workers to check in with residents and meet their needs.
The facility must provide registered nursing services for at least eight consecutive hours daily.
Each day, a Massachusetts nursing home must display nurse staffing information. Notices may include the facility name, current date, and shift hours. They should hang in a public area accessible to residents and visitors.
Dietary Services
The dietary services provided must comprise nourishing, well-balanced meals. Homes must prepare and follow menus that meet individual needs. The facility should serve food regularly, at least three times a day.
There can’t be more than a 14-hour gap between the evening meal and breakfast. If residents are unable to feed themselves, qualified assistants should assist. Withholding food as punishment is considered to be abuse.
Medical Attention
All individuals must remain under the care of a physician who must be available around the clock in case of emergencies. A Massachusetts nursing home must provide access to dental care and routine dental hygiene.
Some homes must also provide rehabilitative services (e.g., physical or occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, or mental health services).
Professionals must supervise pharmacy services to ensure the accurate dispensing of drugs. Giving unnecessary or unprescribed medicine to control unwanted behaviors is abuse.
Sanitation
Massachusetts residential care facilities must have a sanitary environment. Thus, they must establish infection control programs for residents and guests. Also, they should not let contagious employees contact residents or handle food.
A nursing home may isolate residents to prevent disease transmission, but prolonged isolation should not serve as a method of discipline. Unexplained voluntary or involuntary isolation is a warning sign of abuse.
Premises Management
The nursing home should maintain a safe physical environment. To this end, it must respect Massachusetts health, fire, and safety codes. The common areas must be neat and free from slip-and-fall obstacles.
A nursing home facility must be licensed under local laws and follow applicable federal regulations. Administrators must have professional credentials to manage a nursing home.
Since exceptions and special provisions exist, with regulations depending on the needs of each care home and the size of its live-in population, there is much to consider.
Can You Get Legal Assistance With Complicated Claims?
We know the process of getting financial compensation sounds complicated. Fortunately, we can help you determine which rules apply to each place. All you have to do is let us know you welcome our support.
We know you love your family members and want to ensure they receive the best possible care. Our experienced nursing home abuse team can investigate if you suspect a nursing home neglects its duties to your loved one or if abuse may be taking place.
If you have unexplained injuries or other signs of potential abuse, contact a personal injury attorney. As a local law firm, we’re here to help and discuss your legal options 24/7.
Speak to a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Peabody, MA
Our clients are important to us. We’ll take the time to hear you out — your unique problems, timeline, specific needs, and compensation goals. Jason Stone Injury Lawyers is big enough to provide the expertise you need but small enough to make you feel like our family.
Start working with a Peabody nursing home abuse lawyer now. Contact us online or call us anytime for a risk-free legal consultation about your family’s legal situation.
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