Denver Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

Making the decision to place an elderly loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility is a difficult and emotional choice. Each year, countless families face the tough task of finding a place where their aging family members can receive the necessary medical, social, and daily care. While we all hope for compassionate and gentle treatment for our loved ones in their later years, it’s disheartening to acknowledge that nursing home neglect and abuse are on the rise in the United States, affecting far too many vulnerable individuals. At Daly & Black, P.C., our team of Denver nursing home abuse lawyers is here to provide assistance and support in such challenging situations.

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Aging is an inevitable part of life, and as we grow older, it’s crucial to spend our final years in an environment that respects our dignity and safety. Shockingly, statistics reveal that approximately 40 percent of Americans aged 65 and older reside in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, where the specter of abuse looms as a troubling reality.

Every year in the United States, an estimated two million seniors experience some form of abuse at the hands of those entrusted with their care, according to data from the National Center for Adult Abuse. Tragically, for every reported case of nursing home abuse, there may be up to five cases that go unreported. Research indicates that seniors who suffer abuse tend to have shorter lifespans, even when chronic or life-threatening health conditions are absent.

At Daly & Black, P.C., our Denver nursing home abuse lawyers are deeply committed to addressing this critical issue and helping those who have experienced or witnessed abuse in nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

If your elderly loved one has been abused or neglected, you may notice symptoms, such as:

Malnourishment or dehydration
Unsanitary living conditions
Soiled bed sheets or clothing
Medications not being administered or administered improperly

Some of the most common forms of nursing home abuse and neglect are listed below.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and fall accidents, particularly in the elderly, can lead to severe, life-changing injuries. If you’re facing such a situation with a loved one in a nursing home, and you believe it resulted from neglect or inadequate care, our Denver Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers are here to help. At Daly & Black, P.C., we understand the complexities and sensitivities involved in these cases.

When analyzing a nursing home slip and fall case, our lawyers will investigate every circumstance surrounding the incident, including:

Staff response to the accident and injury
Environmental factors, such as adequate lighting, railing and floor safety
Lack of supervision
Your loved one’s specific needs

Broken and Fractured Bones

You made the decision to place your loved one in the care of a nursing home or assisted living facility because the patient’s health is in a fragile state. Nursing home residents are at a high risk for suffering from broken and fractured bones, particularly to the:

Skull
Elbows
Arms
Legs
Hips

Although the majority of these injuries occur from a slip and fall accident due to insufficient supervision, some injuries sadly result from physical abuse from callous and aggressive staff members. Our team of personal injury lawyers and nursing home abuse lawyers are well-experienced to investigate if your loved ones have been mistreated.

Bedsores and Pressure Sores

Bedsores, a common but serious issue in nursing homes, arise from prolonged pressure on the skin due to sitting or lying in one position for too long. This pressure disrupts blood flow, leading to damage in skin and tissues that lack essential nutrients. Elderly patients, especially those with limited mobility, are particularly at risk. If not addressed promptly, bedsores can escalate to severe infections, posing significant health risks.

At Daly & Black, P.C., our Denver Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers understand the importance of quality care in preventing and managing bedsores. Nursing home staff must be adequately trained not only to prevent these sores but also in recognizing and treating them effectively. Unfortunately, even with proper training, issues like understaffing can lead to neglect, where residents do not receive the attention they need and deserve.

Bedrail Entrapment

Bedrail entrapment for elderly patients is a genuine concern. Bedrails are placed as a safety measures to keep your loved one from rolling or falling out of bed. Unfortunately, bedrails often turn a place of comfort into a dangerous trap. An elderly patient can get trapped:

Between the end of the rail and the headboard
Between the end of the mattress and the headboard
Between split bedrails
With the limbs or head in or under the rail
Between the rail and the mattress

Malnutrition

Ensuring adequate nutrition is crucial for maintaining the health of all individuals, particularly for the elderly in nursing homes. When your loved one resides in such a facility, their dietary needs are entrusted to the care of the staff. Neglecting proper nutrition monitoring can significantly impact their health and well-being. Various factors could put your elderly family member at a higher risk of malnutrition, including:

Specific dietary needs or restrictions due to allergies, religious beliefs, or health conditions.
Challenges in self-feeding, which could stem from mental health issues like depression, cognitive impairments like confusion or dementia.
Physical difficulties in eating, possibly caused by missing teeth or poorly fitting dentures.

At Daly & Black, P.C., our team of Denver Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers recognizes the critical role of nutrition in the health of nursing home residents. We are dedicated to ensuring that facilities uphold their responsibility in providing adequate, appropriate nutrition to each resident. If you suspect your loved one is suffering from malnutrition due to the negligence or oversight of nursing home staff, we are here to provide the legal support and guidance you need. Let us help protect your loved one’s rights and secure the care they deserve.

Dehydration

Hydration is a fundamental human need, and a patient can become dehydrated very quickly without adequate monitoring by nursing home staff. Due to a lack of training or sufficient staffing, dehydration is unfortunately common, and can cause serious health risks to your elderly family member’s already frail condition, such as:

Kidney failure
Bedsores
Migraines
Risk of urinary tract infections
Poor digestion

Wandering and Elopement

Nursing home staff and administrators must keep a watchful eye over those in their care. If your loved one suffers an injury while wandering around the facilities, or is hurt after leaving the facility premises unsupervised (called elopement), the nursing home may be held liable. Our nursing home abuse attorneys will investigate the case to find out if:

Your elderly family member was placed on a special floor that required codes to enter or exit the facility
Receptionists were trained and alert
An operational camera was placed over the exit doors
The staff is properly trained
The facility provided adequate staff for proper supervision

Emotional Abuse in Nursing Homes

Emotional health is linked directly to longevity. When your loved one is faced with emotional abuse, it impacts not only his or her quality of life, but also the duration of life itself. Emotional abuse of the elderly may include:

Mocking the patient
Terrorizing the patient
Ignoring the patient
Isolating the patient from other residents or activities
Humiliation
Intimidation through yelling and threats

Nursing home abuse can take many forms. Unfortunately, unlike physical abuse, nursing home emotional abuse can be extremely difficult to identify. Sudden behavior changes are a leading indicator of nursing home emotional abuse. These behavioral changes include:

Anxiety
Depression
Uncharacteristic aggression or agitation
Withdrawal from the nursing home community
Displaying visible discomfort around the nursing home staff
New habits such as rocking, nail biting and similar nervous reactions

Sexual Abuse in Nursing Homes

The reality of sexual abuse in nursing homes is a distressing and serious issue. Elderly residents often become targets for such abuse due to their vulnerability. Factors like physical frailty, defenselessness, and conditions that impair communication, such as the aftermath of a stroke, heighten their risk. Particularly, those who are unable to speak or defend themselves are more susceptible to this form of abuse.

Sexual abuse encompasses a range of non-consensual acts, including but not limited to sexual harassment, the taking of sexually explicit photographs, sexual coercion, inappropriate touching, and rape. In many cases, residents in nursing homes may be unable to provide consent due to mental incapacitation or other health conditions.

At Daly & Black, P.C., our Denver Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers are deeply committed to addressing and preventing these heinous acts. We understand the sensitivity and complexity of these cases. A nursing home resident can be sexually abused in a variety of situations, including:

Sexual abuse by a nursing home staff member
Sexual abuse by another resident
Sexual abuse by a stranger
Sexual abuse by a family member

The following signs may indicate that your loved one has been the victim of sexual abuse. Our nursing home abuse lawyers can help:

Fear or anxiety when a particular staff member approaches to help the resident bathe, dress or use the toilet
Rope burns on wrists or ankles
Stained or bloody sheets
Torn, stained or bloodied undergarments
Unexplained genital irritation or injury
Unexplained sexually transmitted disease
Bruising on the inner thighs, genital areas or breasts
Unexplained difficulty with walking or sitting

Financial Exploitation

The most common form of non-physical abuse of the elderly is financial exploitation. When faced with a trusting, mentally incapacitated nursing home patient, an unscrupulous caregiver may:

Steal the patient’s identity
Authorize withdrawals or transfers of money
Forge signatures
Steal money, checks or belongings
Misuse the elderly patient’s credit cards, checks or accounts

Beside outright thievery and misuse of funds, some people often try to swindle nursing home residents out of their money with common scams promoting fake charities, shady investment opportunities or phony “prizes”.

Nursing Home Abuse and Wrongful Death

It is a profoundly distressing reality that some instances of nursing home abuse are so extreme and prolonged that they lead to the untimely passing of a resident. Enduring the loss of a loved one in such circumstances is an incredibly heart-rending and challenging experience.

Nursing homes are obligated to provide safe environments, trusted staff members and adequate care. The safety of your loved one is their chief responsibility. Common causes of death caused by nursing home abuse include:

Unwillingness to summon outside medical support
Misdiagnosis or poor treatment by on-site medical staff
Medication errors
Neglect leading to malnourishment or untreated diseases
Explicit physical abuse, including beatings

Damages in a Nursing Home Abuse Case

In the unfortunate event that your elderly family member has suffered injuries due to nursing home abuse or neglect, our skilled nursing home abuse lawyers at Daly & Black, P.C. are committed to vigorously advocating for your right to justice and compensation. This may encompass:

Economic damages, including compensation for past, present and future medical costs and other out-of-pocket expenses
Non-economic damages, including the loss of quality of life, as well as emotional pain and suffering
Physical impairment or disfigurement, including compensation for physical disabilities or scars
End of life expenses, including funeral costs and loss of companionship.
Punitive damages: Issued as punishment for outrageous conduct.