Nursing home abuse

Illinois Has Been Recognized with the Most Cases of Nursing Home Abuse Incidents

September 27, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse, nursing home neglect/by Yao Dinizulu

The issue of elder abuse and nursing home mistreatment and neglect is on the rise and is expected to continue to increase in the coming years. In a recent government audit, it was revealed that one in four cases of possible sexual and physical abuse against nursing home patients apparently went unreported to police” [Source: wqad.com]. Although Medicare is required by law to enforce a federal law that requires facilities to notify law enforcement of the abuse, 38 of the 134 cases investigated showed no contact with law enforcement was made as the hospital records indicated no such report in their records.

When May a Bruise Be a Sign of Neglect?

September 27, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse/by Yao Dinizulu

Nursing home abuse and neglect is a serious matter and it is vital you become aware of how to recognize when a loved is being harmed.

Protect Loved Ones from Nursing Home Neglect

September 11, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse, nursing home neglect/by Yao Dinizulu

Recognize Dehydration

Dehydration is a serious, potentially fatal risk that is faced by elderly residents of nursing facilities. In a recent study, 31% of residents in nursing homes who were examined were found to be dehydrated. This can be caused by medications and certain conditions such as diabetes, but is also a result of changes in the body that occur as people age. Luckily the early stages of dehydration are easy to treat, and by being aware of the symptoms dangerous medical problems can be avoided.

Mild to Moderate Dehydration

The symptoms of mild to moderate dehydration tend to be fairly innocuous individually, so it is important to take note if you notice several of them occurring at once. Loved ones may seem sleepy or irritable, complain of headaches, dizziness or cramping in their arms and legs. More specific symptoms are a dry, sticky feeling in the mouth and dry skin. Most importantly, as a person becomes dehydrated, his or her need to urinate disappears as the body tries to conserve liquids. If someone cannot remember the last time he or she urinated, chances are it was too long ago and more fluids are required. When a person who is dehydrated does pass urine, it will be of a dark color – the darker the color typically the more dehydrated the person is.

Severe Dehydration

As a person becomes progressively more dehydrated, additional symptoms begin to appear. The mucous membranes dry out and the patient begins to develop sunken eyes. Skin will also begin to lose its elasticity. In the last stages the patient can develop low blood pressure, fever, and a rapid heartbeat and breathing difficulties. Serious, potentially fatal complications can occur from long-term or severe dehydration, including heat exhaustion or heatstroke, cerebral edema (swelling of the brain), seizures, kidney failure and comas.

Severe dehydration is an emergency. It is potentially lethal and requires immediate medical attention, especially in elderly and pediatric patients. If you suspect that you or a loved one is showing symptoms of severe dehydration, contact a medical professional as soon as possible.

Illinois Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse Attorneys

If you or your loved one has suffered from dehydration while in a nursing home, you or your loved one could be entitled to recover monetary compensation for your expenses, injuries, and suffering. The experienced and compassionate attorneys at the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. will work with you to determine the best way to handle your nursing home abuse or neglect claim. Email us or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW to set up a free consultation with one of our experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys in Chicago.

What Happens When A Resident Falls In A Nursing Home?

March 10, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse, nursing home neglect, Uncategorized/by Yao Dinizulu

If you have a loved one in a nursing home, chances are that they have fallen at least once. The scary part is that sometimes serious injuries can’t be sustained. Nursing homes do not always react to falls and injuries as they should.

Studies have shown that 50% of nursing home residents have fallen at least once. These falls can cause injuries that can lead to serious conditions. Contusions or abrasions can cause broken skin. Broken skin can lead to bed sores in patients that are bed-ridden. In some cases, bedsores can lead to infections such as Sepsis due to the open wound and bodily positions that may contribute to this serious problem.

Other types of injuries that can be sustained are broken bones and head injuries. The broken bones can either be displaced or non-displaced. This means that the break can be a complete break, in which the bone snaps in two and the pieces become displaced, or the break can snap partially or all the way, but still be in place. Head injuries can include concussions, skull fractures, and scalp wounds.

Because these injuries can be serious, you should be sure to make sure that the nursing home has procedures in place when a resident falls. Make sure they contact you and that they maintain proper care and oversight of any injuries that happen as a result of the fall. Watch the video to learn more.

If you have questions about nursing home falls or if you suspect nursing home neglect or abuse, please email or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago-based nursing home abuse attorneys are here for you. You may also find more videos and media content from the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. on our media page.

Who To Sue If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

March 10, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse, nursing home neglect/by Yao Dinizulu

If you have a loved one who is in a nursing home, then you expect that they will be provided with the best of care. What happens when someone abuses your loved one or neglects them? Who do you sue for nursing home abuse, and how do you do it?

Elder abuse unfortunately happens more often than we would like to think. In most cases, it is not the physician’s fault. Unless the physician is the one who specifically did the abuse, then they are not at fault. The doctor usually makes visits to the nursing home, but they do not work there full time. The director of nursing is in charge of all other medical concerns. This means that they oversee the nursing staff and medical procedures and guidelines that must be followed. The nursing home administrator handles all other departments and oversees day-to-day procedures. They are in charge of making sure that staff follows protocol, including how residents are treated.

Under Illinois state law, you can sue the corporation, the nursing home administrator, and the caregiver whose actions constituted the abuse. With constant turnover and ownership changes, it can be difficult to know exactly where to place the blame. An experienced nursing home abuse attorney can help you to determine this and to find the relevant information. Watch the video to learn more.

If you have questions about how to sue when you suspect nursing home abuse, please email or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago-based nursing home abuse attorneys are here for you. You may also find more videos and media content from the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. on our media page.

The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act: Resident’s Rights When Faced with Nursing Home Abuse, Neglect, or Bad Care

March 3, 2017/in Blog, Elder abuse, nursing home neglect, Uncategorized/by Yao Dinizulu

The decision to place a loved one in a nursing home can be a difficult one. While we often have the best of intentions, caring for an elderly family member can be a strain on your family and moving an individual into a facility designed to care for the aging can be tremendously helpful. Not only do nursing homes have skilled staff on hand, but facility resources are also designed to help loved ones transition into their autumn years.

Unfortunately, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) provides data indicating that approximately one out of every 10 Americans over the age of 60 will experience some form of elder abuse. Many times, this is nursing home abuse comes at the hands of caregivers at a senior care facility. Nursing home neglect and abuse takes many forms, such as:

Physical Abuse
Sexual Abuse
Emotional Abuse
Confinement
Passive Neglect
Willful Deprivation of Medicine, Care or Food.
Financial Exploitation

The elderly who are experiencing nursing home abuse or neglect are at an increased risk of death at a rate of 300% more those who do not experience such cases of elder abuse. During a time when your loved one is supposed to be enjoying their golden years, the last thing you want is another’s misconduct causing harm to your loved one. What can you do to ensure nursing homes and elder care facilities are following the law and treating their patrons with the respect they deserve?

Nursing Home Abuse Takes Many Shapes

Under the Nursing Home Care Act, the state of Illinois ensures that nursing home patrons and their families have recourse if the unthinkable happens and the facility or one of their agents neglects or mistreats an individual. For example, every nursing home resident has a right to manage their own financial affairs. Additionally, residents must be allowed their own personal physician if requested, albeit at their own expense. In addition to the hard line rules, Illinois law also requires that caregivers treat residents with dignity, ensuring privacy and respect in treatment programs.

Although sometimes patients or residents may need restraints to prevent them from harming themselves, these restraints may never be used as punishment. The facility, however, may not use restraints without the informed consent of the resident or the resident’s guardian.

Sometimes physical neglect or abuse in a nursing home is obvious, but emotional trauma is less apparent, particularly when a resident suffers from an ailment that prevents them from effectively communicating.

Chicago Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers and Elder Abuse Attorneys Can Help You

It may appear that nursing home lawsuits resulting from the injury of a loved one are straightforward. Although the law does prohibit certain neglectful or abusive acts, administering justice remains complicated. A skilled nursing home lawyer will help you determine who to bring an action against and also what claims to assert.

The experienced Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys at Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. understand the complicated nature of bringing caretakers and nursing home facilities to justice in the unfortunate event of nursing home negligence and abuse. Let our nursing home abuse lawyers in Chicago help you. Please contact us today at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW.

Questions To Ask a Nursing Home Administrator

February 17, 2017/in Blog, nursing home neglect, Uncategorized/by Yao Dinizulu

Do you have a loved one that needs to reside in a nursing home? Our loved ones mean the world to us. We would do anything to make them happy including researching the best care for them. Ask staff and administrators the following questions when searching for a nursing home.

The first thing that you want to inquire about is her staff’s education. What kind of experience and education do they have? Is continuing education available to them on an ongoing basis? Are they up to date in new medical techniques and care giving techniques? The next thing that you’ll want to inquire about is what the caregiver-to-resident ratio is. You want your loved one to have interactions with the same set of caregivers each day because it promotes stronger bonds and ensures that the caregivers really get to know what your loved one needs and wants.

You’ll also want to inquire about how the staff is trained in handling special conditions. Do they have training and experience working with residents who may have Dementia or Alzheimer’s? Do they know the signs, and are the able to handle any obstacles?

Finally, you’ll want to ask about the care they offer. Is staff trained in infection prevention? How about preventing bedsores or ulcers? What about best hygiene practices? These are all things that should be included in the care plans for residents. They are also all important factors in determining what facility your loved one resides in. You don’t want them somewhere where the staff are inadequately trained. Watch the video to learn more.

If you have questions about what questions to ask nursing home administrators, please contact our nursing home abuse attorneys by email or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago-based nursing home abuse lawyers are here for you. You may also find more educational videos and media content from the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. on our media page.

The Top 5 Questions For Nursing Homes According To The CDC

February 17, 2017/in Blog, nursing home neglect/by Yao Dinizulu

The CDC or Center for Disease Control has a lot of guidelines on preventing infections. One set of guidelines involves the questions you should ask your nursing home about infection prevention. You want to become familiar with their protocols and how they handle that situation.

Let’s start with one point. Nursing homes are known for spreading infections. Many of the residents are elderly, and has such, may have a hard time caring for themselves. What is the nursing home staff doing to prevent infections from spreading?

You want to ask what their protocols are and how they are enacted. You want to ask about their time frame for protocols. The next question you’ll want to ask is about the staff. What are their credentials? How are they being trained, for what kinds of practices or conditions, and for how long? Do they receive continuing training and education?

What about flu shots? The flu can be devastating for the elderly and those in compromised health. Are staff and residents required to get flu shots? If so, how often? How does the nursing home handle hygiene? Do they use gloves and sanitize shared equipment regularly before using it with other patients?

Finally, you want to ask the staff how they handle infections. If an infection begins, are they going to notify you right away? How do they protect your loved one? You need to know the answers to these questions. Watch the video to learn more.

If you have questions about what you should ask the nursing home about infection prevention, policies, and procedures, please contact our nursing home abuse attorneys by email or call us at 1-312-384-1920 or 1-800-693-1LAW. Our experienced Chicago-based nursing home abuse lawyers are here for you. You may also find more educational videos and media content from the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. on our media page.