Baton Rouge Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

Miller & Hilgendorf and its Baton Rouge nursing abuse lawyers work with individuals and families whose loved ones have been impacted by nursing home abuse. Nursing home abuse can lead to physical or emotional injury. Other types of nursing home abuse include sexual assault, sexual abuse, or financial exploitation of residents. Residents of nursing homes have a right to receive quality standard of care from adequately staffed nursing homes. Nursing home providers have a responsibility to vet caretakers, to provide proper background checks of caretakers, and to monitor staff for abusive behaviors.

It can feel like an immense betrayal to learn that your loved one has been abused in a nursing home. Miller & Hilgendorf is a nursing home abuse law firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that works with victims and families, helping them to seek compensation for their losses when their loved ones have suffered nursing home abuse or neglect. Contact our law firm today to learn more about your options and rights under the law.

Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

 What is so alarming about nursing home abuse is that many families don’t realize that their loved one was suffering from abuse until it is too late. Fortunately, there are some warning signs that families can watch for. What are some signs of nursing home abuse?

• Behavioral Changes in Your Loved One. If your loved one appears depressed, withdrawn, sad, or frightened, this could be a sign that something might not be right. However, behavioral changes alone might not always be a sign that something is wrong. Individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s or other conditions could also suffer from these changes. You know your loved one best, though, and if you have a doubt about your loved one’s care, you can always follow up with your family member’s doctor.
• High Staff Turnover and Overworked Staff. Have the nurses and people who work at the nursing home been there for years or only for a short period of time? Do staff appear overworked, busy, or tired? How long is a typical shift? Do staff have adequate supplies to care for your loved one? Long hours, high staff turnover, staff that isn’t available to answer your calls or answer your questions clearly is a bad sign.
• Injuries That Have No Clear Explanation. If you notice injuries in your loved one, and staff at the nursing home can’t give you clear answers about where the injuries came from, this is also a bad sign.
• Lack of Sanitation. Your loved one should be bathed and clean when you come to visit him or her. Many elderly and disabled people in nursing homes rely on staff to provide for their basic daily care and needs. If the nursing home itself shows signs that it isn’t clean, this could be indicative of staff that may be overworked, or a staff that may not be vetted to properly care for the elderly or disabled. If the conditions of the nursing home itself aren’t sanitary, this can also be a problem.
• Any Other Inexplicable Decline. If your loved one suffers from any other form of inexplicable decline, like suddenly suffering from more falls, suddenly takes a turn for the worse without any clear medical explanation, or expresses concerns about the nursing home to you, this could be a sign that abuse might be taking place.

If it is possible, talking to your loved one about nursing home abuse is also important. Speak to your loved one in private and ask him or her if he or she feels safe. If you suspect nursing home abuse, you can report the incident to local police to make a police report. You may also be able to seek compensation from the nursing home for your loved one’s medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other losses your family may have suffered as a result of your loved one’s injuries. Miller & Hilgendorf is a nursing home abuse law firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that may be able to help you navigate the claims process. If you have noticed signs that a loved one has been potentially abused in a nursing home, you can always speak to our lawyers to help you understand your rights and the next steps you may be able to take.

Seek Justice for Your Abused Loved One

Was your loved one abused in a nursing home? Do you suspect that a loved one might be suffering from nursing home abuse? The nursing home abuse attorneys at Miller & Hilgendorf in Baton Rouge, Louisiana may be able to assist you with seeking justice for your loved one and seeking damages from the nursing home. If you believe your loved one has been abused, your first priority should be helping your loved one seek appropriate medical care and helping your loved one become safe. Then, contact the nursing home abuse lawyers at Miller & Hilgendorf to learn more about your rights and options under the law.

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Miller & Hilgendorf is a nursing home neglect law firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that may be able to assist you and your family if you suspect that your loved one was neglected in a nursing home. Our attorneys can review your case, review the evidence, and help you understand your options and rights. Families may have the right to seek damages from a nursing home that fails to honor its caretaking obligations. When you place a loved one in a nursing home, you entrust your loved one’s care to the nursing home facility. You trust that the nurses and caretakers will feed, bathe, and provide for your loved one’s physical and emotional needs. You also rely on nursing home caretakers to ensure that your loved one takes medications as needed and gets medical care when needed. Families also rely on nursing homes to be sanitary and safe, free of hazards and risks that can hurt your loved one.

If you believe that nursing home neglect resulted in the death or injury of your elderly or disabled family member, you may have the right to seek damages from the nursing home. However, you may only have a limited amount of time to do so under the law. Contact the nursing home neglect attorneys at Miller & Hilgendorf in Baton Rouge, Louisiana today to learn more about your rights and to learn more about how you may be able to seek justice for your loved one.

Warning Signs of Nursing Home Neglect

 What are some warning signs of nursing home neglect? If you suspect that a loved one is being neglected in a nursing home, your first priority should be to help get your loved one to a safe caretaking situation. You can also reach out to the nursing home neglect lawyers at Miller & Hilgendorf to help you with your case. Here are some warning signs of nursing home neglect:

• Poor Hygiene. If your loved one hasn’t been bathed or is dirty, this could be a sign of nursing home neglect.
• Unsanitary or Unsafe Living Conditions. The nursing home should be in good physical condition, with clean floors, clean living areas, and areas free of hazards or risks to elderly or disabled residents. Bathrooms should have proper grab bars and floors should be free of liquid or tripping hazards. Families visiting their loved ones should check the living quarters for fire hazards, tripping hazards, and other risks.
• Inadequate Staff. Nursing homes are required to meet minimum staffing requirements. Louisiana regulations indicate that nursing staff should be able to provide 1.5 hours of care for each patient per day, and a licensed nurse should be on duty to supervise care staff. Staff ratios will depend on whether the staff is present in the daytime, the nighttime, and other factors. If you are concerned that staff might be overworked, you may want to look more closely into whether the facility is following the law. Signs that staff may be overworked or spread thin can include issues where staff isn’t available to answer the phone when you have questions, issues where staff isn’t available to care for your loved one’s needs when he or she needs assistance, or signs of neglect.
• Improper Safety Procedures. In the current era of the coronavirus pandemic, staff have an added responsibility to mitigate the spread of infections and to keep areas clean. They have a responsibility to wash their hands and to isolate individuals with suspected Covid-19 infections.
• Negligent Hiring. Nursing homes have a responsibility to hire staff who have a good track record of caring for patients and who do not have a history of physical, verbal, or sexual abuse.
• Medical Care. Nursing homes also have a responsibility to connect their residents with medical treatment when they need it, to make sure that residents take their medications, and to follow up for medical care.

If you suspect that your loved one isn’t receiving adequate care at his or her nursing home, you may want to find a safer situation first and help your loved one get the medical care he or she needs for injuries or illness due to neglect. You and your family may also be able to pursue a lawsuit against a nursing home that neglected your loved one. Do you have questions about your rights? Reach out to Miller & Hilgendorf, a nursing home neglect law firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana today. We are here to help you.

Nursing Home Neglect Justice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

If your loved one was hurt due to nursing home neglect, you and your family are understandably upset. The Baton Rouge nursing home neglect lawyers at Miller & Hilgendorf are here to help you. We may be able to help you seek damages for your loved one’s injuries and pain and suffering.

Nursing Home Wrongful Death Lawyers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

If your loved one recently passed away in a nursing home and you believe nursing home neglect or abuse may have played a role, Miller & Hilgendorf is a nursing home wrongful death law firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that may be able to assist you. In this era of Covid-19, social distancing, and global pandemic, many families are concerned about whether their loved ones are receiving adequate care from their nursing homes. Are nursing homes taking proper precautions to prevent the spread of disease? Are nursing home staff adequately equipped and protected to care for patients? Are quarantine and isolation procedures living up to a proper standard of care or are patients being neglected? It can be stressful enough to have a sick or elderly loved one who needs around the clock care. It can be even more challenging to have a loved one who may be at risk of suffering severe complications or death from Covid-19. And it can be devastating to learn that a loved one contracted Covid-19 while in a nursing home. What plans does your loved one’s nursing home have in place to protect residents, prevent outbreaks, and to treat sick residents? Now is the time to ask.

However, if your loved one’s nursing home had a Covid-19 outbreak or is in the midst of an outbreak, now might be a very stressful time for your family. Because of the risks to nursing home residents, in recent weeks, families may not have been able to visit their loved ones in the nursing home and may not have been able to have face-to-face contact with staff. Other families have received the tragic news that their loved one had fallen sick with the coronavirus or learned that their loved one passed away from Covid-19. Because of strict guidelines regarding social distancing, limited visitation in nursing homes, and because of the sheer risk that the coronavirus pandemic poses to the elderly, many families are understandably concerned about the safety of their loved ones who reside in nursing homes.

If you have recently lost a loved one who was living in a nursing home, please accept our deepest condolences. The Baton Rouge nursing home wrongful death lawyers at Miller & Hilgendorf understand how devastating it can be to lose a family member. If your loved one passed away from Covid-19 in a nursing home, you may have many questions. Some nursing homes have faced lawsuits for failing to take steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among residents, and others have faced lawsuits for failing to offer adequate care to residents, and also for failing to inform family of the risks. If you have questions about the steps your loved one’s nursing home may or may not have taken, reach out to Miller and Hilgendorf today. Our nursing home wrongful death law firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is here to help you understand your options and help you take the next steps.

Nursing Home Wrongful Death and Covid-19 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

It is expected that some nursing homes across the nation may soon face lawsuits for outbreaks of the coronavirus that took place in their facilities. Nursing homes are facing lawsuits for failing to provide adequate care to elderly and disabled residents during the Covid-19 pandemic, for failing to properly monitor patients when in isolation, and for failing to warn families properly about the risks that their loved ones faced in the nursing home setting. Staff at some nursing homes have also claimed that nursing homes were not equipped to care for sick patients, with staff not having access to proper protective equipment and with no proper procedures in place to prevent the ongoing spread of the coronavirus among residents.

If you believe that a nursing home’s negligence resulted in your loved one’s death or if you believe that your loved one didn’t receive a standard of care while at a nursing home and this led to his or her death, you may have the right to pursue a lawsuit for nursing home wrongful death. The nursing home wrongful death lawyers at Miller & Hilgendorf in Baton Rouge, Louisiana are here to help you.

What Situations Can Lead to Nursing Home Wrongful Death?

 When nursing homes are understaffed, when they don’t have the proper equipment or facilities to care for patients, or when nursing homes neglect basic standards of hygiene, residents can become very sick and even die. If you believe that staffing issues, failures of equipment and facilities, neglect, or other issues in your loved one’s nursing home resulted in your loved one’s death, you may have the right to pursue a nursing home wrongful death claim in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Miller & Hilgendorf is a nursing home wrongful death law firm that can take the time to review your family’s case, get to the bottom of what went wrong at the nursing home, and who may be able to help you seek damages for your losses.