Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Has Your Loved One Been Abused In A Cook County Nursing Facility?

Have you handed care for your frail or elderly family member to a professional long-term care facility, only to find they are victims of caregiver abuse and neglect, resulting in injury or preventable death?

Do you believe those responsible for the harm should be held accountable? You need fast action to help your loved one recover from trauma incurred from physical abuse, neglect, or injury while in the care of a professional facility.

The personal injury attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC legally advocate for your family. We are committed to holding negligent facilities accountable under Illinois law to help you recover financial compensation for your loss. Talk to an experienced Chicago nursing home abuse lawyer today.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in Chicago, IL, Committed to Holding Negligent Facilities Accountable

Our nursing abuse legal team can pursue legal action for an injury or wrongful death claim if your loved one has suffered or died due to negligence at a senior care facility.

Let our injury lawyers help bring your case to closure. Contact our team today and schedule a free legal case review regarding your legal rights and let a reputable lawyer get to work immediately.

Call Chicago nursing home abuse legal team at (888) 424-5757 (toll-free phone number) or use the contact form today for immediate legal advice and schedule a free case evaluation. All confidential or sensitive information you share with our law team remains private through an attorney-client relationship.

Large Corporations Putting Profits Ahead of Patient Care and The Primary Cause of Abuse

There are currently 1.4 million people living in approximately 15,600 nursing home facilities across the United States (according to Medicaid services). As the population ages, this number is expected to grow substantially in the coming decades.

Many corporations enter the nursing care industry to profit from an emerging area of senior care, with nearly 70% of all senior care facilities operating as for-profit businesses.

In many instances, operators trim staff to bare-bone levels to maximize profitability. Unfortunately, patients get abused in an understaffed nursing center, especially when medical professionals never see them.

Contact a nursing home abuse lawyer from our law office to discuss any medical malpractice, financial abuse of a loved one, or other abuse incidents.

What If You Suspect Abuse of Illinois Nursing Home Residents in A Long-Term Care Facility in Illinois?

There could be anger, frustration, and possibly guilt when you learn that a loved one has been injured or is a victim of abuse or negligence at a skilled caregiving facility. Knowing your family members have suffered physical or emotional abuse may make you feel powerless.

What do you do?

• Take your loved ones to a safe space so they can share what they recall regarding the incident.
• Take notes to be recalled later and document any injuries.
• Talk to other nursing home patients about their experiences around the event date or, in general, about the staff.
• Gather full names, schedules, and health/medical records to be available when you report to Adult Protective Services or the police.
• Collecting and organizing this evidence will help when filing your report; it can help investigators with the abuse or neglect case.
• You likely have questions about the circumstances and seek answers about how it occurred.
• Reporting a situation to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) can initiate getting the answers you need to protect nursing home patients.

Speak to our injury lawyers about a nursing home abuse suit against the care facility. A nursing home abuse lawyer can give you discuss your legal options with you and assist with compensation.

Chicago Nursing Home Lawyers You Suspect Elder Abuse and Neglect and Need Legal Help

You need fast action to help your loved one recover from trauma incurred from physical abuse, neglect, or injury while in the care of a professional facility.

The legal process is daunting and discouraging, so you seek help investigating and prosecuting an accident or injury case involving a loved one at an Illinois caregiving facility.

Speak to an abuse attorney about your legal options and file a Chicago nursing home abuse claim.

Nursing Negligence Attorneys Committed to Resolving Abuse Cases

Our law firm’s nursing injury team has seen firsthand that things can and do go wrong at these professional care facilities, whether by accident or negligence.

When you hire one of our nursing abuse lawyers, you will have someone on your side, 24/7, guiding the case to the best possible outcome while focusing on your injured loved one.

We can provide you with a free consultation on your case to decide how to proceed. Moreover, our law firm has a track record of holding facilities accountable for failing to provide adequate care.

A Commitment to Clients & The Legal Profession

Jonathan Rosenfeld is an American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) Nursing Home Litigation Group member. The group comprises abuse and neglect attorneys nationwide representing abuse victims in lawsuits against negligent nursing care facilities.

Mr. Rosenfeld regularly attends conferences to keep up to date with the latest elderly and disabled assisted living facility litigation techniques and trends in senior care cases. These trends could be an increase in physical abuse, sexual abuse cases in a particular area, or a trend of abuse or neglect at a specific location.

We Have Seen It All When It Comes to Abuse and Neglect and Know What to Do

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC has experience prosecuting various circumstances involving abuse and wrongful death in a nursing home setting in Chicago and throughout Illinois.

Our personal injury lawyers successfully prosecuted nursing home abuse claims in nursing facilities.

Situations Involving Abusive Care of Chicago Nursing Home Residents

The term ‘nursing home abuse’ associated with professional care is sometimes misunderstood. Most people refer to abuse or neglect as a situation where a loved one was injured during an admission to a care facility.

Below are some common cases we prosecute for families after a loved one has suffered an injury at an Illinois assisted living facility:

Bedsores

Pressure sores, bed sores, pressure ulcers, and decubitus ulcers) result from patients being left in one position for extended periods, resulting in pain, extended medical care, infection, or even death. Federal regulations impose responsibilities on nursing homes to prevent unavoidable bedsores.

Falls

Any fall could result in broken bones, subdural hematoma, life-threatening injuries, or death. Up to 20% of elderly patients are injured in falls requiring medical treatment.

Broken Bones

Fractures in older people are painful and significantly impact their quality of life. Unfortunately, many dropped patients have resulted in injuries of bone and hip fractures.

Sexual Assault

There is disturbingly little information about sexual abuse in long-term care facilities for older adults, as most cases go unreported. Signs of sexual abuse may include visual distress, withdrawal, sexually transmitted disease, and bloody or torn clothing.

Other types of abuse involve psychological harm, physical abuse, emotional trauma, and verbal abuse by staff or other patients where a nursing home resident has a personal injury. 

Situations Involving Nursing Home Neglect

While the above condition or injuries may be considered ‘abusive,’ the conditions below indicate poor care or signs of nursing home negligence.

• Dehydration is a leading cause of elder neglect when a nursing home resident does not receive the fluids needed to maintain their physical well-being. Employees monitor the resident’s fluid intake and output to avoid dehydration.
• Malnutrition occurs when caregiving employees fail to address senior home patients’ needs.
• Elopement, also known as wandering, involves a nursing home resident leaving the facility’s safety without the knowledge of staff or other residents.
• Medication errors happen when patients receive the wrong dose or medication, which can be fatal and is part of medical malpractice. Illinois nursing homes can be held accountable for issues arising from medication errors.
• Unexpected death: If the death is causally related to negligent medical care on the part of a facility, the family may have grounds to file a wrongful death claim.

Contact our law office for a free consultation with an experienced Chicago nursing home abuse lawyer who can advise you of your legal rights and options for recourse against the facility.

Our Experience Prosecuting Negligent Care Nursing Homes Cases

Our office’s abuse lawyers are prepared to take each case to trial. But the reality is that most nursing home abuse cases in Chicago nursing homes and care facilities get resolved before trial.

Below are some examples of settlements that our law firm has realized for mistreating the facility’s residents:

• $815,000: An abuse lawsuit was filed against a facility after a patient choked to death when staff failed to supervise mealtime.
• $750,000: A lawsuit against the facility for failing to secure locks on a disabled patient’s wheelchair. (Kane County)
• $710,200: Abuse of Alzheimer’s patient while admitted to a nursing facility.
• $600,000: Patient dropped by staff during a transfer with a Hoyer lift.
• $570,000: A lawsuit was filed against an assisted living facility for failing to follow a physician’s orders.

An elder abuse lawyer from our law firm can help you with legal action regarding your suspected nursing home abuse. We can pursue compensation on your behalf in an abuse case.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse

Below are common questions families raise after their loved one has been injured in a nursing home. However, our assisted living negligence legal counsel recognizes that these questions may give rise to additional questions.

Call us or schedule a free legal case review so our injury lawyers can address your situation and offer legal options.

Chicago nursing home abuse attorneys are committed to holding the perpetrators of neglect cases fully accountable. We can handle the entire process. You will never pay legal fees until your nursing abuse lawyer negotiates a settlement or resolves your legal claim at trial.

What Does Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Look Like?

Many cases are reported after the facility acted negligently or abusively. The common signs and red flags that someone suffered abuse or mistreatment involve:

• The development of pressure sores, particularly on the buttock and heels
• Sudden behavioral changes or moody, angry, withdrawn, or upset behavior
• General mental health deterioration
• Clothing that is dirty or bloody
• Unexplained broken bones
• Poor personal hygiene
• Bruising, cuts, fractured bones, or burns
• The appearance of sexual assault
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• The facility fails to allow its elderly citizens to refuse medical treatment
• Anxiety when left alone with staff members or family members
• Undiagnosed or untreated physical health problems

What Nursing Home Laws Protect Residents Living in A Facility?

The Federal Nursing Home Care Reform Act of 1987 and the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act protect elderly residents in Illinois nursing facilities.

Residents Bill of Rights

This regulatory framework enforces quality care, establishes a resident Bill of Rights, and makes provisions for specific services for residents.

Each facility must comply with the Nursing Home Care Act requirements to receive Medicaid or Medicare payments. Any identified neglect or abuse could result in the facility receiving heavy fines.

Unannounced Inspections

State surveyors and inspectors will visit the facility anytime a formal complaint is made and investigate the common signs of abuse or neglect.

They will also review medical records, conduct interviews, and gather evidence to hold the facility accountable for any mistreatment to the limits their agency can.

If you suspect the Nursing Home Bill of Rights is not being upheld in a care facility, contact a nursing abuse lawyer for legal counsel.

How Long Do I Have to File a Negligence Lawsuit?

In Illinois, you have two years to file a lawsuit (statute of limitations) against a negligent long-term care facility (nursing homes and assisted living facilities).

This law applies to causes of action brought under the Illinois Nursing Care Act and the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, involving all patients and residents in nursing homes and assisted living centers.

How Can I Prove Caregiver Abuse?

Typical nursing abuse cases involve serious problems, mental abuse, physical harm, emotional abuse, medical malpractice, neglect, and preventable death.

To seek justice and financial compensation in legal action citing nursing abuse, you must show that:

• The defendant owed you a duty of care
• The defendant breached that duty
• You suffered severe injuries
• The defendant’s breach caused those injuries

In some personal injury cases involving medical negligence by a physician, our law firm is ready to hold nursing staff members accountable under applicable state laws and regulations.

What Are the Consequences of Nursing Home Abuse?

Nursing abuse is a serious issue that often goes unreported. Victims of mental and physical abuse at an assisted living center are often scared to speak up and worried about the consequences for themselves or their loved ones.

Studies show that nursing abuse can have severe consequences for elderly patients.

Abuse victims may suffer physical injuries, emotional trauma, and even death. If you believe your loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home, you must speak with an experienced nursing home lawyer as soon as possible.

Nursing Abuse Consequences

The consequences of abuse could include:

• Physical and mental injuries
• Emotional abuse
• Trauma
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Death

You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Our law firm can help you hold the negligent parties responsible. Our law firm will simplify the legal process and promptly handle every aspect of your nursing home abuse lawsuit.

For a free consultation with a Chicago nursing abuse lawyer, call us at (888) 424-5757 or complete our online form.

What Are the Most Common Complaints About Nursing Homes?

A recent study showed that the most common complaints about nursing care homes are related to staff issues, including problems with staff members being rude or disrespectful, not providing enough help, and providing poor quality care.

The most common complaints about nursing homes include:

• Nursing home patient neglect
• Abuse, including physical injury
• Medication mistakes, including missing or mismanaged medication
• Lack of staffing
• Not allowing residents to use their own doctor
• A lack of skin care leads to pressure sores.
• Inadequate medical care

Other common complaints include cleanliness, noise, and food quality. If you’re considering a nursing facility for your loved one, research to ensure they will be comfortable and well-cared for during their stay.

Contact Our Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers. Start the Journey to Justice for Your Loved One Now!

When you have trusted the care of a loved one to a professional care facility, the injustice of abuse or neglect can feel overwhelming.

The nursing home abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC appreciate the feelings of anger and guilt after a loved one has suffered abuse after admission to an Illinois facility.

Use our free case review, fill out the contact form, or call our nursing abuse lawyers. Speak with a nursing home abuse attorney to discuss your legal rights and options for pursuing an abuse lawsuit.

Contingency Fee Basis

Our experienced law team is available 24/7. Our law firm works on a contingency fee basis to ensure that our clients’ neglect cases have the best possible outcome.

You can complete a contact form or call our law firm toll-free at (888) 424-5757 and immediately talk to a nursing home abuse attorney.

Resources:

• American Psychological Association – Senior Citizens Abuse
• HRW: Apprehension Over Neglect in Long-Term Care Facilities
• NCBI: Older People Abuse in Nursing Homes