Nursing home abuse and neglect are two things that you never want to have to deal with. When you entrust your loved one’s care to another party, you expect that they will provide fair services to your loved ones and help when it’s needed. After all, that’s what nurses and providers are paid to do.
Nothing can prepare you for the shock of finding out that your loved one has passed away as a result of abuse in a nursing facility. At that point, there is nothing else you can do to help them — but you do have the option of holding the nursing home accountable for its actions. Even if it’s only a single employee who was hurting your loved one, the nursing home has to take responsibility.
What should you do if your loved one has passed away as a result of abuse?
It’s smart to reach out to your attorney immediately after you find out the cause of death. If a medical provider has indicated that the cause of death was due to abuse, violence or other things that shouldn’t have taken place in the nursing home, you should provide that information to your attorney. Your attorney will review all information carefully and let you know your options.
I’m in mourning and don’t want to go to trial…what should I do?
The reality is that many of these cases settle out of court, so you may not need to go to trial. Since trials are public, many facilities will settle to keep the news about the situation as limited as possible, which you may or may not be happy with.