Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse Attorney in Denham Springs

Have you or a family member been abused in a Denham Springs nursing home, either intentionally or accidentally? When residents are harmed by nursing home employees’ negligence, oversight, or abuse, those victims and their families could be entitled to financial compensation.

When people are placed under the care of a nursing home, that home bears an important duty of care to their health and their family’s peace of mind.

Placing an elderly or disabled relative in a nursing home is a difficult but necessary decision for their family. As a result, nursing homes must be places where their patients’ families can trust that they’ll be taken care of. When a nursing home betrays that trust, they don’t only harm the victim, but their families as well.

Unfortunately, elder abuse and other forms of nursing home abuse is tragically common: the World Health Organization reports that 1 in 6 people older than 60 experience some form of abuse every year. If you think one of those is your family member, contact a personal injury lawyer with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys for a free consultation today.

How Gordon McKernan Can Help in Your Nursing Home Abuse Case

The biggest reason that families place their elderly relatives in a nursing home is for greater care than they’re able to provide at home. Many residents of nursing homes require help with even basic activities, including eating, bathing, dressing, and moving.

Elder abuse can come about in a number of ways: the facility could be negligent in hiring their employees, in training them, or in properly managing patient-staff interactions. No matter the reason, however, the result is the same: physical injuries, mental trauma, and more.

If you suspect your loved one is being abused by assisted living staff, you might be unsure of where to turn for help. Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have over 679+ years of combined legal experience helping Louisiana victims of nursing home abuse and their families. We understand how emotionally devastating these cases can be, which is why we do everything we can to maximize our clients’ compensation.

Some of the services Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys can provide include

• An in-depth investigation into the abuse or neglect to discover how long the abuse has been going on, whether the employees involved have other complaints or have been the subject of earlier discipline, and other facts
• An expert-aided examination of your loved one’s injuries, and an estimation as to the likely value of your claim
• Assistance in making tough decisions such as accepting a settlement offer
• Negotiate on your behalf against the nursing home or their insurance provider
• Arguing your case in court, should those negotiations fall through

Begin your journey to healing today: call us at 225.888.8888 for a free, risk-free legal consultation.

Who Could Be Liable for Nursing Home Abuse?

When someone is harmed in a nursing home, anyone who contributed to that harm can be held liable for the injuries suffered. Parties to a nursing home abuse lawsuit can include

• Doctors or physician assistants
• Registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, licensed vocational nurses, or licensed practical nurses
• Contracted vendors and other care providers
• Maintenance staff, custodians, and groundskeepers
• The nursing home themselves or their parent company

While nursing homes must comply with federally-mandated staffing ratios, many of them experience high turnover due to long hours, low levels of pay, and other issues. The resulting under-staffing has been linked to low levels of care, including failures to observe changes in health. A high rate of turnover can also result in rushed or even skipped training, leading to worse care overall.

Is the Nursing Home Responsible for My Loved One’s Abuse?

When a nursing home resident suffers abuse or injury, the nursing home itself may be held liable. If your family member’s injury occurred as a result of any of the following, call a nursing home abuse injury lawyer to discuss your case:

• Failing to provide water, food, or other necessities
• Failing to provide adequate medical care or needed medication
• Failing to provide adequate security
• Failure to properly background-check or qualify employees, and other negligent hiring practices
• Negligent training practices, including failure to adequately train caregivers and other staff
• Failure to maintain equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, medical equipment, and others
• Failure in monitoring staff members
• Unnecessarily physically restraining a resident

If the nursing home failed to properly care for you or your loved one, they could be held liable for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages the victim has suffered. The Denham Springs nursing home abuse lawyers with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have successfully pursued damages in multiple nursing home negligence and abuse cases.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse

Tragically, elder abuse can take a variety of forms. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, there are seven types that are the most common:

• Physical abuse such as pushing, kicking, punching, or otherwise hurting the resident
• Emotional or psychological abuse includes behaviors like insulting, isolating, or otherwise controlling the patient
• Abandonment or neglect of residents, leaving them unsupervised and uncared-for for long periods of time
• Financial exploitation of elderly residents includes forging their signatures, transferring funds without their informed consent, theft, and other behaviors
• Finally, sexual abuse is sadly common in nursing homes and assisted-living centers

If you suspect your relative is being abused in their assisted-living center or nursing home, reporting your suspicions doesn’t just help them. Abuse is rarely targeted at one resident—so by helping your loved one, you’re helping other residents as well.

Know the Signs of Nursing Home Neglect

The signs of nursing home neglect can be subtle. When you visit your loved one at the assisted living center, be aware and observant for the following signs that could indicate neglect or abuse:

• Signs of neglect
  • Dehydration
  • Rapid weight loss or other signs of malnutrition
  • Infections
  • Bed sores
  • Unsanitary bedding or living conditions
  • Burn injuries
• Signs of emotional abuse
  • Low self-esteem
  • Withdrawn or non-communicative
  • Fear of a particular staff member or care taker
  • Reluctance to speak in front of staff
• Signs of physical abuse
  • Open wounds, including cuts, punctures, or scrapes
  • Head injuries
  • Unexplained or untreated injuries
  • Bruises
  • Unexpected death
• Signs of sexual abuse
  • STDs or genital infection
  • Strange bleeding
• Signs of financial abuse
  • Sudden, unexpected changes in life insurance policies, wills, powers of attorney, or property titles
  • Unexplained purchases, transfers, or ATM withdrawals

If you have reason to believe your family member is the victim of neglect or abuse in a nursing facility, assisted living facility, long-term care facility, or nursing home, you may be able to file a claim for damages. Call Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys to discuss your case at 225.888.8888—we’ll do everything we can to hold those responsible to account.

Statute of Limitation Changes in Louisiana

In 2024, Louisiana law extended the statute of limitations for personal injury claims occurring on or after July 1, 2024, from one year to two years. Any injuries that occurred before July 1, 2024, will still have a 1-year statute of limitation. Learn more about Louisiana’s New Statute of Limitations here.

• 1 year for injuries sustained before July 1, 2024.
• 2 years for injuries suffered after July 1, 2024.

The statute of limitations is a legal deadline that sets a time frame for filing a lawsuit. In Louisiana, this is known as the “prescriptive period,” which determines how long you have to take legal action against the responsible party after an injury occurs.

Call a Denham Springs Nursing Home Abuse Injury Lawyer Today

In order to protect elderly victims from abuse or neglect, Louisiana has enacted the Abuse and Neglect of Adults Act, requiring reporting of elder abuse and neglect. Failure to report such abuse is classed as a misdemeanor carrying a $500 fine and up to six months of jail time. If you suspect your loved one is being abused, report your concerns to Elderly Protective Services as soon as possible.

After that, call Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys for a free consultation and help filing your negligence claim against the liable parties.

Give us a call at 225.888.8888 today to discuss your case. A dedicated lawyer is standing by to help your family collect the compensation they need to move on and begin healing.