Across the United States, there are around 1.4 million people residing in nursing homes. When your loved one enters a nursing home, it is disheartening to learn that they are being neglected by their caregivers.
It is the responsibility of the nursing home staff to ensure that your loved one is being properly cared for and attended to. When you see that your loved one is being neglected in their nursing home, questions may begin to arise. To start, you may be wondering if you can even sue a nursing home for neglect of your loved one, and the answer is yes.
If you decide to move forward with suing a nursing home for the neglect of your loved one, there are other questions that are also commonly asked. Continue reading for a more in-depth look at questions that people also ask regarding nursing home neglect, and what the answers to these commonly asked questions are.
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How Long Does It Take to Settle a Nursing Home Lawsuit?
A nursing home lawsuit can take up to 24 months to settle. Like any personal injury case, nursing home cases can be a lengthy process. It is important to know that, if your nursing home abuse case goes to trial rather than a settlement, the process could take even longer. The ultimate goal of a nursing home abuse case is to get justice for your loved one, and a lengthy process can all be worth it if the end result is justice.
What Constitutes Neglect in a Nursing Home?
Neglect is defined as a failure to provide a person with the care and services necessary to ensure freedom from harm or pain, intentionally or unintentionally. There are different forms of neglect that can occur in nursing homes. The different types of neglect include:
Physical Neglect
Physical neglect in a nursing home is the failure to attend to a resident’s physical needs, such as failing to provide proper medication, failure to bathe and groom residents, or failure to provide meals.
Emotional Neglect
Emotional neglect in a nursing home occurs when residents are put through emotional distress by staff. Emotional neglect can take the form of ignoring residents, belittling residents, or infantilizing the needs of the residents.
Abandonment
Abandonment means that the caregiver or staff member has disregarded their responsibilities to care for residents, while also failing to arrange for sufficient care of the residents.
How Much Can You Sue a Nursing Home For?
According to a Health Affairs report, the average settlement for a nursing home abuse case is around $406,000. The value of a nursing home abuse case is ultimately determined by any medical bills, emotional distress, and pain and suffering endured by the victim.
Hiring Representation for your Nursing Home Neglect Case
The experienced attorneys at Beltz & Beltz have handled numerous nursing home abuse and neglect cases, and know how to get results for our clients. If you feel that your loved one has been suffering from neglect in a nursing home, it is important to remove them from the harmful situation and seek legal help immediately.
The personal injury attorneys at Beltz & Beltz are happy to answer any questions that you may have regarding your nursing home neglect case and will fight to get your family justice. Contact our office today for a free nursing home case evaluation, and start the process of getting justice for your loved one.
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