There are 366 certified nursing homes in the state of New Jersey, with a maximum capacity of over 50,000 residents. Each facility must follow strict rules and regulations, and staff members must be properly trained and qualified to provide compassionate and attentive care.
Unfortunately, understaffing issues, poorly maintained buildings, lack of training, and negligent hiring practices have exposed many elderly residents to neglect or physical, verbal, financial, or sexual abuse.
If you suspect your loved one is being abused or neglected in an assisted living facility, make sure to contact a Cherry Hill nursing home abuse lawyer right away. A determined personal injury attorney could help investigate your case, gather important evidence, and work to ensure you and your family member get justice. En Español.
What is Nursing Home Abuse?
In nursing home abuse cases, intent is not necessarily required for a behavior to be considered abuse. This means that even if a caregiver or staff member did not intend to hurt a resident, it may still be considered abuse if negligence was involved.
Similarly, violence does not have to be a factor to constitute abuse. If an elderly resident’s basic needs are not protected or are ignored, a Cherry Hill attorney could help them and their family file a nursing home abuse case.
However, there are times when a person may intentionally harm an elderly patient. The most common forms of intentional nursing home abuse come in the forms of physical abuse such as hitting or pushing, emotional abuse such as shouting or threatening, and financial abuse such as forgery or theft.
For a free legal consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer serving Cherry Hill, call (856) 528-4494
Nursing Home Abuse Statistics
Many nursing home abuse cases go unreported, either because an elderly victim isn’t capable of reporting the abuse or neglect, or because some elderly residents have no family to visit them or observe changes in their physical or emotional status. Even with the understanding that many cases are never reported, abuse statistics in nursing homes are startling. Over 2 million nursing home abuse cases are reported annually, and one out of every ten nursing home residents experiences abuse. Startlingly, one research report states that 87% of surveyed nursing home caregivers reported giving inadequate care to residents and 55.7% of staff members reported observing other caregivers actively abusing elderly residents.
Cherry Hill Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me (856) 528-4494
Cherry Hill Nursing Home Laws and Regulations
Nursing homes in New Jersey require a Certificate of Need, N.J.A.C. 8:33, as well as a Nursing Home Administrator (NHA) license.
To receive both of these, a nursing home facility must submit an application to be reviewed by the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services. Cherry Hill nursing homes are also inspected and regulated by state and federal agencies to ensure that medical equipment, staff members, and the environment are kept up to strict standards. Any violations can result in fines or a complete shutdown of the facility.
According to New Jersey law, a person can also be charged with the crime of elder abuse if:
- The victim is 60 years of age or older
- The abuser had a legal duty to care for the elderly person
- The abuser neglected to care for the elderly person, or intentionally allowed someone else to abuse/neglect the victim
It is important to know, however, that compensation may still be available even if no criminal charges are brought against the defendant. A skilled Cherry Hill lawyer could help an individual pursue the compensation they deserve from a negligent and abusive nursing home.
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Contact a Cherry Hill Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
When your elderly relative is living in a nursing home, it is important to pay attention and be aware of the signs of abuse. If you believe your family member is being abused or neglected at a nursing home in Cherry Hill, make sure to get a lawyer involved as soon as possible.
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Common Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
Our elderly loved ones are nearly as vulnerable as young children. Some of the most at-risk elderly residents of nursing homes are unable to alert loved ones to their abuse because of dementia or aphasia (inability to speak or express thoughts). Others are too ashamed of the treatment they’ve received to report it, or they may fear repercussions from caregivers if they tell. Some signs of nursing home abuse to watch for in an elderly loved one include:
- Frequent bruises, lacerations, and/or fractures
- Broken personal items like glasses, dentures, and hearing aids
- Untreated or worsened bedsores
- Red marks or bruises on the wrists, ankles, and around the mouth
- Bruising or bleeding around the private parts
- Torn clothes and bedsheets
- Worsened hygiene, unclean clothing, and unkempt room
- Signs of dehydration and malnutrition
- Reluctance to talk around caregivers
If you suspect an elderly loved one has experienced abuse, report it to the police and the facility manager and demand a complete investigation.
Causes of Nursing Home Abuse
It seems impossible to imagine a caregiver harmfully neglecting or purposely hurting a vulnerable elderly resident, but elder abuse is a rampant problem in many long-term care facilities. Research suggests the following causes of the high occurrence of abuse reported and suspected in nursing homes:
- Negligent hiring practices and frequent staff turnover rates
- Understaffing, which leads to overworked, stressed caregivers
- Inadequate caregiver training
- Low morale, which leads to a loss of compassion
While we’d like to imagine a loved one in a long-term care facility where they are lovingly cared for and spending their days in a garden with a good book, sadly, nursing homes can be high-stress environments with overworked, overwrought caregivers who take out their frustrations on vulnerable elderly patients or simply can’t take the time to properly care for their charges. Poor hiring practices and poor staff management leads to nursing home neglect and abuse.
How a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Can Help
The compassionate attorneys at Grungo Law in Cherry Hill will report the abuse of your elderly loved one to the authorities within the facility’s jurisdiction and file legal claims against the facility managers and/or individual caregivers, depending on the circumstances of the abuse. Once we inform the facility managers of the investigation and present evidence in the case, they are likely to offer a settlement. We will fight for your loved one’s right to compensation for their injuries and emotional duress. While most claims end in an ample settlement, we will happily take a nursing home abuse case all the way to court if required to achieve justice for your loved one and accountability from the facility where the abuse occurred.
Why Choose Us for Your Cherry Hill Nursing Home Abuse Case?
Many nursing homes are large organizations, which can make the legal process seem complicated and intimidating, but a compassionate and capable attorney could stand by your side.
Let a Cherry Hill nursing home abuse lawyer investigate the unique circumstances of your case and get rid of the confusion you may be feeling. To learn how an attorney can help you get justice, get in touch today.
Call or text (856) 528-4494 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form