Cook County Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer

Attorneys for Injuries Caused by Nursing Home Negligence in Chicago, Kenwood, and Bronzeville

For many families, nursing homes and assisted living facilities provide an essential service, ensuring that elderly loved ones are properly cared for while giving them a positive environment where they can socialize with others, participate in activities, and enjoy their twilight years. Unfortunately, some nursing homes do not fulfill their responsibilities, and patients may suffer injuries due to abuse or neglect. Discovering nursing home neglect or abuse can be devastating for family members who trusted the staff of a facility to protect their loved one from harm and provide for their needs. In these cases, families need to work with an experienced personal injury attorney who can help them hold a negligent nursing home responsible for the harm done to their family member.

The lawyers of Karchmar & Lambert, P.C. provide high-quality legal representation for those who have been injured by other people's negligence. Throughout more than 50 combined years of experience, we have helped our clients secure multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements in a wide variety of injury cases. We are dedicated to fighting to achieve justice for victims and holding negligent parties accountable. We provide services on a contingency basis, and we do not collect legal fees from our clients unless we are able to recover compensation through personal injury claims or lawsuits.

Forms of Nursing Home Abuse

A nursing home's staff members may commit direct abuse against a resident, or they may allow a person to be abused by other patients or workers who do not directly care for residents, such as members of custodial staff. In many cases, this type of abuse occurs because nursing homes are understaffed. Difficulty finding qualified workers may mean that staff members are hired without performing background checks or ensuring that they have the proper training, and failure to maintain adequate staff levels may cause some residents to go unsupervised, increasing the chances that they will suffer abuse.

Nursing home abuse can take multiple different forms, including:

• Physical abuse - A person may strike, shove, push, slap, or choke a resident, restrain them to a bed or chair, or inflict other types of physical harm. This can lead to serious injuries that affect a patient's health, their ability to move about freely, and their overall quality of life.
• Verbal or emotional abuse - Staff members may yell at, rebuke, or belittle patients that they believe are being troublesome. This type of abuse may also involve isolating a patient from contact with others or forcing them into embarrassing situations.
• Sexual abuse - Sadly, some residents are targets of sexual assault or sexual exploitation, especially if they are physically vulnerable or have difficulty telling others about what has happened to them due to conditions such as dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
• Financial abuse or exploitation - Some staff members may convince residents to turn over money or valuable belongings to them, or patients may be the targets of scams or identity theft.

Signs of Nursing Home Neglect

Even if nursing home residents are not the victims of purposeful abuse, they may suffer harm because staff members do not provide the necessary care to address their needs. Neglect may involve a lack of proper medical care, failure to ensure that patients are taking the correct medications, or failure to attend to residents' physical needs and provide them with the proper nutrition. Some signs that a person has experienced nursing home neglect may include:

• Fall injuries - Residents may fall while moving throughout a nursing home or when getting into or out of beds or chairs. These injuries can occur because staff members do not provide assistance when needed or do not keep hallways and common areas free from potential hazards.
• Bedsores - Patients who are confined to beds or chairs can develop pressure sores on the areas of their bodies that remain in contact with surfaces. Staff members should be sure patients are repositioned regularly to avoid these types of injuries, and prompt treatment should be provided for any sores or rashes that begin to develop.
• Malnutrition and dehydration - Lack of necessary food and water can lead to serious physical and mental issues, such as weight loss, tooth decay, extreme fatigue, dizziness, confusion, and depression.
• Patient wandering and elopement - Without proper supervision and security measures, a resident may wander into dangerous areas of a nursing home, or they may leave the facility altogether.

Contact Our Garfield Park Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Lawyers

If staff members at a nursing home have failed to meet their duty to provide care to your loved one, or if a facility has allowed abuse to occur, Karchmar & Lambert, P.C. can help you understand your legal options. We will fight to make sure your loved one and your family are fully compensated for the injuries that were caused as a result of this negligence. Contact us and schedule a free consultation today by calling 312-977-1300. We assist with nursing home injury cases throughout Chicago, Cook County, and beyond, including but not limited to nursing homes in and around the neighborhoods of Garfield Park, Chatham, Bronzeville, Gresham, Ashburn, Kenwood, South Shore, Pullman, Englewood, and Austin.