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Millions of Americans rely on nursing homes to keep their loved ones safe and healthy in their older age. However, you need to secure a Pittsburgh nursing home abuse attorney if your loved one has been mistreated or neglected.
At Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman, we are ready to get to work. If your loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home, we will investigate and move to secure the compensation you deserve.
There is a lack of research when it comes to elder abuse in the United States, but nearly every safety and watchdog agency agrees that it is prevalent. While most nursing homes and staff do their jobs well and with compassion, elder abuse occurs with alarming regularity.
The Centers for Disease Control says that elder abuse is “an act or failure to act that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult.” Elder abuse takes many forms and includes:
If you have a loved one in a nursing home, be sure to visit as often as possible. When you do visit, you need to look for certain signs and symptoms of the abuses discussed above. This includes:
If you notice any of these, particularly signs of physical or sexual abuse, get the police involved and work to remove your loved one from a dangerous situation.
If you discover that your loved one has suffered from abuse in a nursing home, it is important to keep a few deadlines in mind if you need to file a lawsuit to recover compensation. First, The Pennsylvania statute of limitations for personal injury claims is two years from the date an injury occurs. This means that victims and family members of victims have a two-year window with which to file a claim against an alleged abuser.
Regardless of the type of abuse that you think your loved one has been a victim of in a nursing home, you should speak to an attorney at Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman as soon as possible. Our Pittsburgh nursing home abuse lawyers will be ready to investigate your case and ensure that all deadlines are met so your loved ones can get the compensation they need.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for nursing home residents and their family members. The first major outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States was centered on a nursing home. The CDC states that those residing inside nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable to becoming seriously ill and dying from the coronavirus.
It is incredibly important that all nursing homes take steps to decrease the likelihood that COVID-19 will enter their facilities. Failing to do so could constitute negligence on the part of the nursing home facility and the staff members.
Pennsylvania has approximately 700 nursing homes and more than 76,000 people reside in these facilities. The state has issued guidance to nursing home facilities about steps they need to take before allowing visitation to resume. This includes having adequate personal protective equipment, adhering to written screening protocols for everyone entering the facilities, and more.
Aside from the dangers of COVID-19 entering the facility, there are other concerns that need to be addressed. The coronavirus has caused many nursing home facilities to become short-staffed. This is often due to employees either contracting COVID-19 or entering quarantine because they suspect they may have been exposed to the virus. In some areas, employees have simply quit their jobs rather than go to work with inadequate safety equipment. A short-staffed nursing home could lead to an increase in instances of abuse and neglect of residents.
Unfortunately, with visitation limited or non-existent, it is harder for family members to keep tabs on their health and the safety of their loved ones.
If you discover that your loved one has suffered from abuse or neglect in a nursing home, you need to seek legal assistance as soon as possible. This kind of behavior is never okay. The knowledgeable and experienced team at Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman will get to work investigating your case today. The goal is to secure the compensation you and your loved one deserve for what has happened, including:
When you need a Pittsburgh nursing home abuse lawyer, you can contact us for a free consultation by clicking here or calling 888-988-9467.