Elderly Protection and Patient Rights

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Elderly Protection and Patient Rights

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Nursing homes are meant to be safe havens, places where seniors who lack facilities for self-care can stay for treatment and compassion. Unfortunately, some receive the opposite – abuse, neglect, and other forms of mistreatment abound in America’s nursing homes. Many times nursing homes will fail to either hire an adequate number of staff or provide them with correct training. This can lead a level of care that is inadequate for many Illinois nursing home residents.

There is good news though- you don’t have to stand for it! If you or a relative has experienced nursing home abuse or neglect in Chicago, we at the Law Offices of Malman Law can help you fight back.

Under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, nursing home residents are granted wide ranging patient rights. All a resident must prove is that the nursing home facility did not provide proper treatment or that the treatment provided was unreasonable or dangerous, and you do NOT need to prove medical malpractice.

Warning Signs of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect:

Some common warning signs of abuse or neglect in nursing home include but are not limited to the following:

• Sudden, severe weight loss, or other signs of malnourishment
• Bedsores: Bedsores are ulcers which can be caused by a number of factors, including an immobile resident not being turned appropriately
• Frequent bruising, cuts or open wounds
• Unexplained fractures or broken bones
• Over-medication: Symptoms include lethargy, permanent involuntary muscle movements, seizures, and even sudden death
• Physical or sexual assault or abuse
• Malnutrition or Dehydration
• Insufficient protection from patient attacks
• Failure to diagnose bed sores, infections, and other diseases
• Bed rail injuries

This is not an exclusive list, but it represents the common types of abuse and neglect that Illinois nursing home residents can suffer on a daily basis. These acts have incalculable effects on the patient emotionally, physically, and financially.

As veteran Illinois personal injury lawyers, we’ve seen it all since we opened our doors in 1994. We at Malman Law find nursing home abuse and neglect cases to be some of the most outrageous matters we handle.

We take elderly protection and patient rights very seriously and we are ready to put our talented, driven team to work for you