Sending a loved one to a nursing home is one of the hardest decisions you ever have to make. You trust the nursing home to provide your loved one with quality care. Unfortunately, when nursing home staff fails to take care of their patients, there could be serious consequences. what happens when the nursing home provider violates that trust?
If you have a loved one who has been victimized by nursing home abuse, a Belton nursing home abuse lawyer can help you hold the provider responsible for their harmful actions. Speak with a seasoned attorney right away to discuss your options and get the compensation your loved one deserves for intentional or negligent mistreatment.
Texas law holds nursing homes to a high standard of care for their occupants. According to Title 4, Sec. 242.402 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, institutions are required to provide to each resident the care necessary to enable the resident to attain “the highest practicable level of physical, emotional, and social well-being.”
Residents have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation; to safe, decent, and clean conditions. Elderly residents are to be treated with courtesy, consideration, and respect (among numerous additional rights). Violating residents’ rights and failing to comply with their standard of care can have negative consequences for nursing facilities and open them up to potential civil liability by residents.
A nursing home resident might be the victim of nursing home abuse if they have suffered from mental or physical abuse at the hands of a caregiver or employee. Abuse can take place in many forms and is not always obvious, so it is important to recognize abuse when it is happening.
Some examples of the different types of abuse nursing home residents can experience include involuntary isolation from others, failure to provide access to adequately nutritious meals, failure to provide access to water, failure to provide professional help with physical and mental disabilities, and failure to provide access to a nurse, physician, dentist, or counselor. If a family member is worried that a loved one is suffering abuse, it is important to speak with a Belton nursing home abuse attorney right away.
Further, nursing homes are required to provide a clean environment for their residents. This means that floors should be kept clean, the bathroom and kitchen should be regularly cleaned and sterilized, linens and clothing should be washed consistently, and dishes should be cleaned off immediately after use. Failure to provide a sanitary living environment could be considered a violation of the resident’s rights.
If a nursing facility is perpetrating abuse towards its residents, the abuser could face felony charges, and the facility could be shut down. Further, the victim’s family can also file civil charges against the nursing facility. Offenders might be liable for substantial amounts of damages to the victim’s and the victim’s family if found guilty.
If a nursing home facility is abusing your loved one, do not let the facility off the hook. They will only continue to abuse residents and may never be penalized for their wrongdoings. Call a Belton nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible to fight for your loved one’s proper care.
A nursing home abuse lawyer can work to ensure that your loved one is fairly compensated for the abuse that they had to endure. Call today to learn more about how an attorney could help your loved one seek justice.