Nursing home abuse is a form of medical malpractice, and it happens to many people. Thousands of such cases go to court each year, and millions of victims receive compensation because of kind and competent medical malpractice lawyers. Malpractice occurs any time a medical specialist does not look out for the best interest of a patient. Malpractice occurs in nursing homes because of a variety of reasons.
Examples of Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse can come in many forms and fashions. The most common type of nursing abuse that people endure is hygiene neglect. Hygiene neglect occurs when aides do not provide patients with the help they need to brush their teeth, bathe and go to the bathroom. Mishandling is another form of abuse that can occur. It occurs when staff members do not administer the appropriate type of medication or adequate food to the patient.
Two other types of nursing home abuse that occur are verbal and emotional abuse. Verbal abuse is calling people names like old, fat, stupid or worthless. Emotional abuse is ignoring a person or making the person to feel as though he or she is a an unimportant member of society. Medical malpractice and abuse can occur if the nursing home staff allows someone to take advantage of the patient financially, or it can occur if the facility itself takes advantage. A lawyer can assist anyone who has been through this type of abuse.
Compensation That One Can Receive
There are two types of compensation that a victim of nursing home abuse can receive. The one type is called compensatory damages, and it covers all the medical expenses that the person accumulated because of the abuse. Compensatory damages can cover the patient’s entire stay in the facility, for example. Another type of damages that one can get is punitive damages. A person can easily receive punitive damages in a case of nursing home abuse because punitive damages cover pain and suffering. A good lawyer can request hundreds of thousands of dollars for punitive damages for a person.
What to Do About Nursing Home Abuse
If you or a loved one has been harmed because of nursing home abuse, you need to first report it to the facility. Give the facility the opportunity to correct it. If the facility ignores you or refuses to correct the problem, then you can take it to the next level by contacting medical malpractice lawyers. Lawyers at Bogoroch usually provide victims with a free initial consultation. The free initial consultation will give the victim the opportunity to tell his or her story so that the lawyer can assess it. The lawyer will use that information to come up with a strategy for the client.