CHICAGO, IL — You think your loved one isn’t getting the proper treatment from nursing home staffers, and you’ve witnessed signs that point to neglect. What do you do and how can you prove your loved one is being victimized by the people who are supposed to be caring for them?
Steps to Take After Witnessing Signs of Nursing Home Neglect
If you believe your loved one is a victim of nursing home neglect, one of the first things you should do is contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. to speak with one of our experienced Chicago, IL nursing home neglect attorneys. If you’re looking to get your relative relocated to a new and safer facility, our lawyers can assist you with this and much more.
What a Chicago Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer Will Do For You
Finding out that your loved one isn’t receiving the care they are entitled to or being treated with the respect they deserve is heartbreaking. Most of the individuals who reside in nursing homes rely on staffers to assist with day-to-day tasks as well and care for them as they are no longer able to do it themselves. These individuals are vulnerable and staff members are well aware of this.
When our nursing home abuse law firm is contacted regarding a case of neglect, you can rest assured that we will do the following:
- Determine if you have a valid case against the nursing home and/or one or more staff members.
If we suspect a case of neglect exists, we will help you get your loved one relocated to a safer place.
2. Help you gather evidence to support your case.
When a nursing home resident is neglected, you may be able to bring a lawsuit against the facility and/or a specific staff member, or your loved one may be able to file it themselves. However, in order to sue a nursing home, you will need to prove the facility or staffer was negligent in some way.
Proving negligence can be tricky and because an act of negligence is usually what these cases stem from, it is important to be able to show what the staffer did that was negligent. Thankfully, our skilled Chicago nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys will handle gathering all of the evidence needed to support your case.
Some examples of the evidence we might use includes:
- A detailed description of what you witnessed. You are going to want to write down if you haven’t already done so all of the signs of neglect you identified. The date these findings were made would also be beneficial to your case.
- Witness statements. If someone else such as another staff or even a visitor saw your loved one being neglected, we can collect statements from them that recount exactly what they saw.
- Photos/videos. Photos of your loved one’s condition as well videos can also assist with proving negligence. If the home has surveillance cameras and the act was caught on camera, we can help you recover the video footage so that it can be used as evidence.
- Medical records. Medical records are very important to nursing home neglect cases as they can help identify why a resident suffered an injury or what caused their condition to worsen. For example, if your loved one developed a condition such as a bedsore that only worsens without adequate treatment, this can be documented in their medical records which can later be used to help prove your case.
3. File a personal injury lawsuit against the facility and/or a staffer.
If your loved one suffered an injury or illness because they were neglected, they may be entitled to recover damages to serve as a form of relief. Some of the damages we may be able to help you recover after filing a lawsuit include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Medical expenses
- Loss of enjoyment of life
4. Fight for justice.
When you move your loved one into a nursing home, the last thing you expect is for them to be harmed. Nursing homes are supposed to be employing enough staffers to ensure there is a reasonable resident to staff member ratio as well as those who are capable and qualified to do the job. When facilities become understaffed or hire workers who are underqualified, it puts many lives at risk.
Because most of the individuals in nursing homes are unable to speak up and defend themselves, they rely on family and professionals such as our dedicated Chicago, IL nursing home neglect lawyers to speak up for them—and that is exactly what we do here at Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. When you retain a lawyer to represent your loved one’s nursing home neglect case, you can rest easy knowing that we will be fighting as it if was one of our own who was harmed.
To schedule a time to speak with a nursing home abuse lawyer in Chicago, IL, call 1-312-384-1920.
You can contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at:
221 North La Salle Drive, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 1-312-384-1920
Website: www.dinizululawgroup.com
