Victim of Nursing Home Abuse?
Sarasota Injury Attorney Maria Gerber Can Help You Find Justice
Elder abuse and neglect seems to be on the rise not only in Florida but
also across the country. The Nursing Home Abuse Care Center estimates
that elder abuse and neglect occurs in 30 percent of the nation's
nursing facilities. This figure is heartbreaking, especially when you
consider the vulnerability of the elderly. While there are many who work
in nursing home facilities who are not engaged in abusing, neglecting
or swindling the patients and residents, some nursing home workers are
aware of these practices and do nothing to stop them. They may be equally
to blame for letting this kind of behavior continue.
Maria Gerber fights for her clients to hold liable every individual and entity in the
chain of command who is responsible for your loved one's injuries.
Accountability and compassion are essential components of quality representation,
and Gerber Law wants justice for you and your beloved elder family member.
Florida is a popular destination for retirees, and around 20 percent of
Florida's population is over 65 years old.
As Florida's population continues to age, more families face the difficult
decision of whether to place their elderly family members in nursing homes.
Sarasota personal injury lawyer Maria Gerber of Gerber Law knows, and
most people will agree, that those in their twilight years deserve a trained
nursing home staff that will treat them with dignity, respect and care.
Sadly, many elderly people do not receive the care they need and may suffer
abuse or neglect at the hands of the nursing home staff members who are
supposed to nurture and protect them. If you or someone you love have
been injured as a result of nursing home abuse you need the personal,
yet aggressive representation Maria Gerber can provide.
Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse may be physical or mental. Mental abuse includes emotional
and psychological torture, such as intimidation and threats to the patients.
Physical abuse includes:
- Assault and battery
- Physical and chemical restraint
- Sexual abuse
- Food or water deprivation
- Denial of medication or personal care or hygiene
- Lack of supervision
Whether the abuse is physical or mental, abused nursing home residents
live in a constant state of fear. Gerber Law is committed to fighting
these horrors and protecting your beloved parents and grandparents.
Nursing Home Neglect
Any type of insufficient care for nursing home residents by nursing home
staff is neglect. Failing to clean residents thoroughly, failing to supervise
patients with mental issues like dementia, failing to provide proper and
timely medical treatment or failing to give the bedridden a stimulating
environment are all examples of neglect. Failure to act can be just as
damaging as active abuse; in a nursing home environment, caregiver laziness
can lead to sickness, injury or even
death.
Symptoms and Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Abuse and neglect may be obvious to family members or other staff, but
it may also manifest in more subtle ways. Some things to watch for when
you are visiting with an elderly family member:
- Improper care of bedsores
- Unexplained burns, bruises, cuts, fractures, or sprains
- Dirty, torn, soiled or stained underclothes
- Frozen joints
- Health problems that don't seem to improve
- Poor hygiene
- Unexplained sexually transmitted diseases, infections, or bleeding
- Odors of feces or urine
- Dirt, lice, fleas and signs of other vermin on clothing or in room
- Personal items broken or missing
- Large monetary withdrawals from bank accounts
- Changes in wills, trusts, estates and other documents
- Sudden behavioral changes
- Improper patient observation
If you notice any of these signs or symptoms in the nursing home or on
your family member,
contact Sarasota injury attorney Maria Gerber at Gerber Law immediately for a
FREE
consultation. Do not wait until an already unbearable situation spirals down further.
Reasons for Nursing Home Injuries
Members of the nursing home industry always seem to have an excuse for
patient and resident injuries. Nursing home staff members are overworked
and underpaid, and the stress and fatigue of watching over too many patients
takes its toll. The result is that these staff members either neglect
their patients or take their frustrations out on their patients. The nursing
home facility is more interested in its bottom line â why pay more
money for extra staff or better training? Additionally, skimping on supplies
to feed and care for residents to save money is a more common practice
than you might care to think.
It may be difficult to prove your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse
or neglect. However, Gerber Law will make sure that the authorities properly
investigate your claim and will help bring the guilty parties to justice.
Criminal punishment and financial compensation may be the end result.
Please contact Gerber Law for an initial
FREE consultation if you would like to know more about nursing home injuries
or if you need to file a nursing home abuse claim.
Unlike large companies, Ms. Gerber treats her clients in a personal and
caring way. You will always work directly with an attorney. With offices
in Sarasota and Venice, Florida, Gerber Law serves the southwest coast
of Florida.
NO FEE UNLESS YOUR ATTORNEY RECOVERS MONEY FOR YOU.