Springfield Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

Holley, Rosen & Beard, LLC, in Springfield, can help you protect your loved one’s rights if they have suffered an injury resulting from negligence in a nursing home or care facility in central Illinois.

We are a team of attorneys with over 50 years of experience and a record of significant compensation settlements and verdicts on behalf of our clients.

If you suspect that your loved one has suffered neglect or abuse at the hands of a care provider, it’s time to speak out. Our Springfield nursing home abuse attorneys can help you identify the signs of abuse, take legal action, and see that those responsible are held accountable. By saying something today, you protect your loved ones and can help prevent future instances of abuse or neglect. Talk to a Springfield personal injury lawyer today about your loved one’s situation.

We Thoroughly Investigate Your Loved One’s Nursing Home Injury

Most nursing homes and long-term care facilities in central Illinois are operated in strict accordance with state regulations. Some, however, have a history of negligence, often the result of undertrained or unqualified staff and taking shortcuts to save money. We not only investigate to determine whether your loved one’s injuries are the result of negligence, but we also investigate the facility’s prior record in the event additional punitive damages may be available for willful and wanton neglect.

Our Springfield nursing abuse attorneys offer zealous representation for people seeking damages resulting from any type of injury or wrongful death caused by a nursing home, care facility, or home health care negligence, including:

• Falls, transport, and wheelchair injuries
• Bedsores, skin ulcers, and infections
• Dehydration and malnutrition
• Medication errors
• Injuries from assault by staff or other residents
• Injuries resulting from wandering off grounds

We can also represent your loved one who has suffered injury resulting from medical negligence, misdiagnosis, or administration errors by a doctor or nurse providing services associated with the nursing home or care center.

What Is Considered Nursing Home Abuse?

Nursing home abuse is any type of poor treatment received by a resident in a nursing home that meets the definition of negligence. The following are some of the most common types of nursing home abuse:

• Physical abuse: This includes any physical actions that hurt a person. That includes lacerations, burns, bruising, punching, forceful handling, or pushing.
• Psychological abuse: This type of abuse occurs when a person is threatened or demeaned in various ways, including any type of emotional abuse that is controlling, insulting, isolating, or threatening.
• Financial abuse: Financial abuse occurs when a person misuses a power of attorney, steals cash or belongings, prevents a person from accessing their financial records, or makes claims for care that were not provided.
• Sexual abuse: Any type of unwanted sexual contact, touching, or groping falls into this area.
• Neglect abuse: A person who does not receive attention and care as expected, including ignoring complaints or requests for help, leaving a person alone for a long period of time, not providing support to maintain hygiene, or not providing nutrition.

Any type of nursing home abuse should be investigated and reported. If your family member is in harm’s way, report the incident to the head of nursing, call 911 if there is a risk to your health or life, and then contact a Springfield nursing home abuse attorney to help you.

Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing home abuse comes in numerous forms, but any time you notice any of the following common signs of abuse, taking action right away could be life-saving.

• Unexplained bruising or injuries, including cuts, contusions, or broken bones
• Not receiving medication as expected
• Unexplained broken eyeglasses
• Signs of restraint on a person’s arms or wrists
• Unexplained STDs or genital infections
• Controlling or threatening behavior witnessed by others
• Sudden onset of unexpected behavior, such as rocking, mumbling, or sucking a thumb
• Being dressed in the same clothing each day
• Dirty or cluttered living spaces
• Onset of bedsores
• Pleas from the family member not to leave
• Changes to financial situations that are unexpected
• Changes to the power of attorney or life insurance policies
• Evidence of too much medication, such as being “out of it”

Listen to your loved one. If they brush off your questions about injuries or abuses, that is a sign of concern. If your family member suddenly has an onset of depression or anxiety, that could also be a warning sign. The most important step you can take is to look for changes in your family member’s behavior and then seek out answers. Your Springfield nursing home abuse attorney can help you get more information.

How Long Does a Nursing Home Abuse Case or Claim Take?

Under the statute of limitations in Illinois, you have two years from the date of the abuse to take action. However, in situations like this, there may be more time available if you do not know of the injury for some time.

If you do not act within the timeframe the law provides, you may be unable to file a claim and pursue financial compensation against those who caused these injuries. Even if you are unsure if that timeframe has expired, seek out help from a nursing home abuse attorney in Springfield to get answers to your questions.

Seeing The Signs Of Abuse? It’s Time To Say Something.

Call our Springfield nursing home abuse attorneys at (217) 632-8131, (877) 671-5884, or complete our contact form to schedule your free, confidential consultation. We routinely work with individuals and families throughout the region and look forward to speaking with you about your case.