When you decide to place your loved one in a nursing home, you do so with their health and safety in mind. But what happens when the nursing home violates your trust and your loved one’s caregivers harm them?
You have rights, and so does your family member. A Baltimore nursing home abuse lawyer with the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow can help you seek justice. In addition, our legal team can pursue compensation for your loved one’s injuries and related damages if they suffered abusive or negligent treatment while in a care facility.
Our Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Will Stand Up for You and Your Loved One
Nursing home abuse is illegal, and those who hurt your loved one should pay for their actions. Attorney Adam M. Smallow and our team of personal injury attorneys will fight for you so that you can turn your attention to your family member’s care and healing.
Investigate the Nursing Home Facility
We can investigate how your loved one’s injury occurred and prove they suffered abuse or neglect. In addition, we will collect evidence proving that a caregiver, healthcare provider, nursing home administration, or another party is liable for damages. For example, neglect can be an unintentional byproduct of overworked or undertrained nursing home staff, which could make the facility’s management liable.
We will gather evidence, which may include:
- Eyewitness testimony
- Medical records
- Nursing home employment records
- Official complaints against the facility
- Surveillance footage
- Accident reports
Pursue Fair Compensation for Nursing Home Abuse Injuries
You should not have to pay for losses resulting from abuse or neglect. Instead, our Baltimore nursing home abuse lawyers can help your loved one and family pursue compensation, including:
- Past and future medical expenses related to your loved one’s injury, including hospital and doctor bills, rehabilitation, and medical procedures
- Awards for your loved one’s physical pain, emotional suffering, and mental anguish
- The value of stolen or misappropriated property or assets
- Reimbursement of nursing home fees
- Costs associated with relocating your loved one
- Back pay for income lost while caring for your injured family member
- Compensation for your loved one’s wrongful death if they suffered a fatal injury
Advocate for You in a Nursing Home Abuse Claim
Our lawyers will file your claim, demand fair compensation, and aggressively fight for the maximum settlement available to you. We’ll even pursue damages in court if necessary.
Your best interests will always be at the center of everything that the team at MD Accident Law does. Clients even get a unique phone number for 24/7 text communications.
For legal consultation with a nursing home abuse attorney in Baltimore, call (410)777-8960
Know the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
To protect your loved one, you need to know how to recognize signs of nursing home abuse and neglect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), elder abuse falls into the following categories:
- Physical Abuse is intentionally inflicted injury or violence, including pushing, slapping, or kicking. Signs of physical abuse include bruising, cuts, fractures, burns, and frequent or unexplained injuries. Your loved one may also display signs of trauma, agitation, or fear, especially in the presence of their abuser.
- Emotional or psychological abuse occurs when a caregiver threatens, humiliates, harasses, or causes distress to a resident, often by isolating them from social engagement. Those who experience emotional abuse may become depressed and withdrawn, have difficulty sleeping, and stop participating in hobbies and activities.
- Neglect occurs when a caregiver or facility fails to meet a resident’s basic needs, such as supplying food, shelter, clothing, and medical care. Signs of neglect include bedsores, dehydration, malnutrition, poor personal hygiene, and an unclean facility.
- Sexual abuse includes any form of unwanted sexual touching, attention, or coercion, including verbal sexual harassment. Sexual abuse victims may have physical signs on their breasts and genitals. They may also display signs of trauma or engage in regressive behaviors.
- Financial abuse is the theft or illegal use of a resident’s property or assets. Signs include missing money or property, unauthorized changes to banking and retirement accounts, and using a resident’s identity to open lines of credit.
Residents Have Rights Under Maryland Law
Md. Code Reg. § 10.07.09.08, also known as the Residents’ Bill of Rights, codifies your loved one’s right to live free from physical, verbal, sexual, and mental abuse under Maryland law. Other rights protected in the bill include:
- Access to reasonable accommodations for individual needs and preferences
- Access to treatment, care, and services
- Freedom from coercion or discrimination
- Freedom from chemical or physical restraints used for control or discipline
- Freedom from involuntary seclusion
Make sure you start working on your nursing home abuse claim before time runs out. You have three years to file a case in a civil court under Md. Cts. & Jud. Proc. Code § 5-101.
Baltimore Nursing Home Abuse Attorney (410)777-8960
How to Report Nursing Home Abuse in Baltimore
According to the Maryland Department of Aging, the state health department’s Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ) received nearly 1,400 reports of alleged abuse and over 800 allegations of neglect in FY2020. If you suspect your loved one has experienced abuse or neglect in a nursing home or care facility, you should file a complaint with the OHCQ by calling (410) 402-8108.
You can also request assistance through the Department of Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Ombudsmen act as independent advocates for nursing home and assisted living facility residents. You can reach a Baltimore City ombudsman at 410-396-3144. For an ombudsman in Baltimore County, call 410-887-4200.
Finally, if you have an emergency abuse or neglect situation, call 911. You may also wish to file a police report with the Baltimore Police Department. Additionally, consider speaking with our Baltimore nursing home abuse lawyers to learn more about your loved one’s rights and how to take legal action against the facility that harmed them.
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Call the Law Offices of Adam M. Smallow Today
Our team works on contingency, meaning you do not pay us unless we win your case. So, call today for a free consultation to learn more about how we can serve you.
Call or text (410)777-8960 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
