You trust nursing homes to treat your loved ones with the care they deserve. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, it is vitally important to know your rights and secure legal help from a Atlanta nursing home abuse law firm. With so many options to choose from, you want a law firm with Atlanta personal injury lawyer who have experience handling nursing home abuse cases. Bader Scott Injury Lawyers has years of experience with these cases and can help.
Contact us for a free consultation to learn more about how our experienced legal team can help your case.
How Common Is Nursing Home Abuse in Georgia?
A KFF study found that the hours of care that staff administered to nursing home residents dropped by nine percent between July 2015 and July 2023. The hours of care dropped from 4.13 to 3.77 hours. This was a result of declining registered nurse (RN) hours and nurse aide hours. According to the study, during the same time period, the average deficiencies count increased by 31%. Serious deficiencies increased by nine percent.
The lack of quality care shows that nursing home neglect plagues Georgia’s nursing homes and must be addressed by the right Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers.
For a free legal consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer serving Atlanta, call (404) 888-8888
What Are Nursing Home Legal Requirements in Atlanta?
When nursing home and assisted living facility abuse occurs, victims and loved ones often are in the dark about nursing home law and regulations required by Georgia. If you have a loved one living in a Georgia nursing home, it is important to know and understand your and your loved one’s rights. Our compassionate team of legal experts at Bader Scott Injury Lawyers can help protect your loved one’s rights.
Staffing Requirements
Georgia law mandates that there must be at least one registered nurse or licensed nurse must be on and in charge for each eight-hour shift. The nursing home must also have enough staff to adequately care for residents.
The staff must include at least one physician, one dentist, one registered nurse, and one dietitian.
Activity Requirements
Nursing homes must provide professional social services. The social services must address the mental, social, and emotional needs of the nursing home residents.
For each resident, the option for companionship, recreation, and social activities is required by law, although residents are not required to participate. Although times and scheduling of visits may vary, family members and loved ones must be able to visit with nursing home residents.
Medication Requirements
Federal and State laws and regulations dictate that pharmaceutical services must be provided.
Sanitation Requirements
Georgia law requires proper sanitation, laundry services, and infection protocols. Residences must also be debris-free.
Due to negligence, a disproportionate number of nursing home residents suffer harm each year due to negligence from improper cleaning and sanitation. For example, mites that lead to sepsis in nursing homes can lead to severe health complications for residents.
Prohibition of Abuse
Georgia law expressly forbids any type of physical or emotional abuse. Physical and emotional abuse includes, but is not limited to neglect, pushing, hitting, scratching, taunting, belittling, threatening, and any other action done to a nursing home resident with malice. Minor abuse may be difficult to discover, but it is critical to stay observant for even the smallest warning signs of abuse. Often, the smaller forms of nursing home abuse indicate a pattern of greater abuse.
Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me (404) 888-8888
You Have a Limited Time to Take Action for Nursing Home Abuse
The statute of limitations for nursing home injury or negligence is two years from the time of injury or negligence was discovered. If you suspect an instance of nursing home abuse, contact Bader Scott Injury Lawyers immediately.
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What Are Nursing Home Abuse Risk Factors?
Several risk factors exist for nursing home abuse. The National Center on Elder Abuse indicates the following three categories:
- Facility Risk Factors– Poor staffing and lack of administrative oversight or administrative antipathy can make abuse more likely to occur.
- Patient Risk Factors– Patients affected by dementia, having special needs, or living in isolation within the facility are easier targets for abuse.
- Patient’s Relationships Risk Factors– Patients who do not receive many visitors may receive less oversight from nursing home staff.
The National Council on Elder Abuse provides helpful information for identifying additional risk factors for nursing home abuse and neglect.
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Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse happens anywhere and can take the form of neglect or intentional abuse. It is often the result of a nursing home’s failure to fulfill legal obligations. Below are some common signs of abuse in a facility.
- Bed sores, also known as pressure sores, pressure ulcers, or decubitus ulcers
- Malnutrition or dehydration
- Unexplained falls or fractures
- Sepsis
- Choking
- Clogged or dirty breathing tubes
- Medical errors
- Death
Nursing home abuse has serious ramifications. Elderly residents often experience emotional trauma or physical injury if the abuse is ignored. In some cases, the abuse leads to death. In most cases of abuse, elderly residents depend on a vigilant family member to notice the signs of abuse and advocate on their behalf.
If you believe your loved one is being abused, call our Atlanta nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys today for help.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse in Atlanta
Five types of abuse can occur in nursing or assisted living facilities:
- Physical abuse: Physical abuse is any type of intentional physical contact that leads to harm. Examples of physical abuse include hitting, burning, biting, pinching, spitting, punching, unnecessary physical or chemical restraint, or refusing to give a resident medication, food, or water.
- Emotional abuse: Emotional abuse is any intentional infliction of distress. Emotional abuse, also known as verbal abuse, can include screaming at, threatening, embarrassing, belittling, harassing, or isolating a resident.
- Financial abuse: Financial abuse involves taking money from or otherwise defrauding a resident. This could include writing or cashing checks from the resident’s account without permission, charging for services that were unnecessary or were not provided, or coercing or forcing a resident to change their will or power of attorney.
- Sexual abuse: Sexual abuse is any non-consensual sexual contact. This could include forced touching, forced nudity, and taking suggestive photos of a resident, or rape.
- Neglect: Neglect can be intentional or unintentional. It can include not giving residents food, water, or medication, failing to follow a fall-prevention plan, ignoring call buttons, failing to help residents get from their rooms to the bathroom or lunchroom, and failing to involve the resident in social activities.
Abuse can take on different forms, including sexual battery in Atlanta; you can protect your loved one by taking immediate action. Our Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers are here to help you.
Let Our Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Help You
If you suspect that a loved one has had their legal rights impinged upon, please contact our Atlanta nursing home abuse law firm. Each personal injury attorney at Bader Scott Injury Lawyers has extensive knowledge regarding Georgia’s nursing home abuse law. We will fight tirelessly on behalf of your loved one, ensuring proper care and getting the justice and financial compensation that you deserve.
Call us today for your free consultation.
Call or text (404) 888-8888 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
