Las Vegas Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer
Nursing home neglect and abuse cause severe injuries and deaths to some of America’s most vulnerable people. Labor shortages in the healthcare industry, inadequate training for nurses and other staff members, and lack of funding are often blamed for nursing home abuse and negligent acts that occur in assisted care settings.
While these are valid complaints that should be addressed, they are no excuse for the pain and suffering that vulnerable nursing home residents and other elderly adults are forced to endure. Las Vegas nursing home abuse lawyer Christopher Burk holds negligent nursing home facilities and abusive healthcare workers accountable for injuries they cause to residents.
Call for free consultation:702-620-2020
Was Your Loved One Injured in a Nursing Home?
Making the decision to move a loved one into a nursing home facility or an assisted living facility is never easy. Long-term care facilities are expected to provide elderly residents with the best of care. Sadly, however, safe nursing homes are the exception in Nevada and elsewhere throughout the nation.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that nursing home abuse and negligence are on the rise in the United States. Approximately 1 in 6 older adults will experience some form of elder abuse this year, and the rates appear to be higher for elderly people who live in assisted care settings and nursing homes. According to reports, 16% of older people aged 60 and over experience emotional abuse abused, 3.5% suffer physical abuse or sexual abuse, and about 4.2% are neglected. Experienced Las Vegas attorneys may see several nursing home abuse cases a year.
Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs receive over 188,000 complaints annually concerning exploitation, gross neglect, or abuse in nursing homes across the country.
Even if nursing home residents cannot speak up for themselves, you can help identify the signs of nursing home abuse or nursing home neglect.
Identifying Signs of Nursing Home Neglect or Abuse
While some signs of nursing home abuse and neglect are obvious, others can be difficult to identify. Signs that your loved one is not receiving the care he or she should be getting in a nursing home include, but are not limited to:
- Unexplained injuries on the wrists, arms, face, or other parts of the body
- Withdrawal from normal activities or from interacting with others
- Body odors or hair that is unkempt
- Sudden weight loss
- Nervousness or signs of fear when caretakers are near
- Depressive state of mind
- Worsening medical conditions
- Bed sores
If you suspect your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse or neglect, it is important to talk with a nursing home neglect lawyer as soon as possible. Experienced personal injury lawyers can help you and your loved one take legal action to prevent further injuries and hold wrongdoers accountable for the pain their actions have caused.
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Mr. Burk handled my case with great professionalism and care. With his expertise he was able to save me medical expenses for unnecessary procedures as well as refer me to a great chiropractor. Knowledge and experience can be expected from Chris.
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El Sr. Burk hizo un trabajo increíble en lo que respecta a mi caso de lesiones. Incluso me dio su número de teléfono celular. ¿Qué otro abogado hace eso? Él hacía un seguimiento semanal, desde las visitas del Dr., hasta simplemente verificar mi bienestar. Recomiendo encarecidamente al Sr. Burk a familiares, amigos y colegas. Gracias de nuevo por toda tu ayuda.
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Holding Wrongdoers Accountable for Nursing Home Negligence
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Nevada have a duty of care to nursing home residents. They must:
- Ensure long-term care facilities are safe
- Make sure residents are free from mental abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, or financial abuse
- Assist people with disabilities when they need help with mobility, eating, drinking, bathing, or changing clothes
- Provide adequate nutrition to residents
- Give residents access to their personal belongings
- Allow residents to have visitors unless doing so puts their health or safety in jeopardy
- Avoid unnecessarily restraining residents
- Provide medical care, medications, and medical tests
- Make sure the people they hire are not a danger to residents
When approached with allegations of nursing home abuse or neglect, many nursing homes deny any wrongdoing. Sometimes they even use powerful legal firms or corporate legal teams to intimidate victims and family members to get the allegations dropped. Without a skilled lawyer, many nursing home abuse victims simply fall through the cracks.
Nursing home abuse attorney Christopher Burk can help with your elder abuse claim. He believes that we must do more to prevent the increasing number of nursing home abuse and neglect incidents that are occurring in the U.S. We must protect vulnerable people from suffering emotional, sexual, and physical abuse at the hands of their nursing home caregivers. To ensure our elderly loved ones are safe, nursing home abuse lawyers must fight for the little guy and stop negligent caregivers in their tracks.
Neglecting the Needs of Nursing Home Residents Can Result in Serious, Deadly Injuries
When the needs of elderly people or those who are dependent on someone else go unattended, the results can be catastrophic. Elder neglect can cause:
Bed sores
When a nursing home resident is immobile, he or she requires the assistance of nursing home staff or other caregivers to turn and reposition their bodies. Lying or sitting in the same position for extended periods of time can result in bedsores that are painful and can become dangerously infected. If untreated, bedsores can develop into injuries that cause permanent scarring, infectious disease, and even death.
Dehydration and Malnutrition
Patients in a nursing home facility and assisted care settings often depend on healthcare staff to help them prepare meals or to consume adequate food and liquids. When elderly people are unable to fend for themselves, their nutritional needs can easily be neglected, resulting in malnutrition or dehydration. In severe cases, these conditions can exacerbate other health issues, and result in serious illnesses or death.
Worsening Illnesses
Residents in an elder care facility depend on their caregivers to provide access to or deliver the medical care and medications they need to treat their conditions. When a nursing home fails to provide medical treatment or necessary medications to a nursing home resident, and elderly person’s conditions can worsen. In some cases, the lack of medical treatment can cause residents to die.
Falls
Falls are a leading cause of injury for older people who have grown unstable. Residents in long-term care homes are required to be evaluated to determine whether they are a fall risk. When staff members fail to implement safeguards to reduce the risk of falls, vulnerable residents can experience fall accidents that cause broken bones, severe traumatic brain injuries, and fatalities.
Wandering
Patients with dementia are high risk for wandering that can lead to falls, heat or cold exposure, dehydration, drowning, and more. When facilities fail to take the proper steps to prevent wandering from the safety of the facility, and do not adequately supervise people who are prone to wandering, they can be held liable for the injuries and deaths that result.
FAQs About Nursing Home Abuse in Nevada
Can chemical restraints be used on nursing home residents in Las Vegas?
Medications to chemically restrain nursing home residents can only be administered in conjunction with psychiatric care and opinions. Sedation must be based on the resident’s needs instead of the nursing home’s convenience. When a nursing home drugs residents to make them more compliant with staff, it is a form of nursing home abuse. Facilities can be held liable for physical and psychological injuries.
Who regulates nursing homes in Nevada?
Nevada nursing homes are subject to state and federal regulations. Facilities that do not comply with federal and state regulations can be fined, barred from taking on new residents, banned from Medicare and Medicaid programs, and even closed down.
Who can be held liable for nursing home negligence or abuse in Las Vegas?
Multiple defendants can be held liable for nursing home abuse or neglect in Las Vegas nursing homes. Experienced nursing home abuse attorneys can help you decide who to seek compensation from in your personal injury claim. Liability for damages can fall on:
- Nursing home facilities
- Individual staff members
- Doctors, nurses, and other professionals
- Cleaning companies
- Food preparation companies