Mississippi Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers
Tannehill Carmean: Trusted Advocate for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Cases
As our loved ones age, they can develop health and cognition conditions that are challenging or impossible for the close family to manage at home. Nursing homes offer support, medical care, nutrition, and a safe environment to care for our elders—but sadly, in some cases, some nursing home residents have been victims of abuse or neglect. When you suspect that your loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home in Oxford, MS, or the state of Mississippi, it is crucial to get help from an Oxford, MS nursing home abuse attorney to take action to hold all responsible parties accountable.
What Are the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?
If your loved one is living in a nursing home or assisted living facility in Oxford, MS, you expect they will be cared for professionally. It is devastating to discover a loved one has been a victim of abuse. All family members should be aware of the signs of abuse and be on alert for the following symptoms when visiting a loved one in a nursing home:
- Unexplained Injuries: If your loved one has bruising, has suffered a bone fracture, or has cuts or abrasions, it may indicate that physical abuse is occurring.
- Falls: Elderly individuals often have difficulties with balance. Nursing homes are required to manage these conditions professionally. Frequent falls may be a sign that your loved one is being neglected or abused.
- Bed Sores: Bed sores, or “pressure ulcers,” result from leaving an individual immobile in the same position for many hours. Bed sores are a symptom of neglect or abuse.
- Lack of Hygiene: If your loved one appears unwashed, has an unpleasant odor, has bad breath, or has dirty hair or clothing, it indicates the individual is being neglected.
- Medication Errors: Elderly nursing home residents often need several medications, which must be administered correctly. When a medication dose is missed, or the resident is administered an incorrect dosage or appears over-medicated and is always groggy, asleep, or unresponsive, it may indicate abuse.
- Rapid, Unexplained Weight Loss: When a loved one loses a substantial amount of weight, it could be a sign of malnutrition.
- Dehydration: If your loved one has dry skin and hair or complains of thirst, they may lack proper fluid intake, a sign of neglect.
- Unexplained Fears: A nursing home resident who becomes unusually fearful or is afraid of specific staff members may be a victim of physical or even sexual abuse.
- Financial Abuse: If a loved one’s bank account is accessed or certain valuable personal items have disappeared, it is a sign of financial abuse in a nursing home.
What is Nursing Home Negligence?
Nursing home negligence is when a nursing home or assisted living facility fails to provide the accepted standard of care. Mississippi has minimum standards that nursing homes and assisted living facilities must meet. The standards include the type of licensed medical professionals who must be present at the facility, required background checks, health history, and other requirements. Unfortunately, many nursing homes have staffing issues. They may fail to provide the level of care required under state law, leaving the nursing home residents at risk of neglect, physical abuse, or other harm.
Is Your Loved One a Victim of Substandard Care in a Nursing Home?
If your loved one has been a victim of substandard care, you must take legal action immediately, and our firm can help you with this vital process. Our elderly relatives are often frail and in poor health overall. The nursing home must be held accountable without delay to avoid further harm, both for your loved one and the other residents in the facility. At Tannehill Carmean, our Oxford, MS law firm can help you take action to fight for the rights of a loved one who has been a victim of substandard care. The amount of compensation sought will reflect the extent of the harm resulting from the lack of care in the facility.
What is Nursing Home Neglect?
Nursing home neglect can include the following types of harmful acts, whether deliberate, an error, or due to lack of staff or training:
- Medical Neglect: Failing to properly care for a resident’s medical needs, including failing to administer their prescribed medications properly, treat symptoms of illness, or failing to monitor chronic health conditions, or transport a resident to a hospital when necessary, leading to worsening health conditions or loss of life. All nursing homes must have medical professionals on staff to manage the health of residents.
- Basic Needs Neglect: When a nursing home fails to provide the required support for fundamental needs, such as ensuring residents have adequate nutrition, hydration, and a safe living environment, it is a case of nursing home neglect.
- Personal Hygiene Neglect: Most nursing home residents require assistance in bathing, grooming, dental care, going to the toilet, and other very personal tasks. When nursing home staff fail to provide this support to a resident, it is a form of nursing home neglect.
- Emotional and Social Neglect: If a nursing home resident is isolated, they often experience emotional damage from the lack of companionship, with loneliness, depression, and anxiety.
Nursing home neglect can have grave consequences for vulnerable residents who rely on their caregivers for daily assistance and medical care. If you suspect your loved one is a victim of nursing home neglect, we urge you to reach out to our nursing home abuse lawyers at Tannehill Carmean without delay.
Wrongful Death Claims for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
In some cases, a nursing home resident dies due to abuse or neglect in a nursing home. When this occurs, a wrongful death claim can be filed to hold the facility, its owners, staff, and management accountable for the untimely death of a loved one. These cases require proving that the actions or lack of care provided by the nursing home caused the death of the resident. These cases must be filed within three years of death but initiated immediately so that all evidence can be gathered and preserved. The types of issues that could allow for a wrongful death lawsuit to be filed include but are not limited to the following:
- Medication errors leading to loss of life
- Physical abuse, such as punching or kicking that leads to a death
- Delayed diagnosis or failing to manage a health condition as required
- Death due to a fall that should have been prevented
- Dehydration and malnutrition causing death
- Untreated infections from bed sores or other types of neglect
- A failure to test for or manage a health condition
FAQ
How Long Do We Have to File a Lawsuit Against a Nursing Home for Abuse?
The Mississippi statute of limitations allows for three years from the time the abuse was discovered to file a personal injury lawsuit.
What Is The Difference Between Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect?
Nursing home abuse is when intentional harm or mistreatment occurs in a nursing home, such as physical, emotional, or financial abuse. Neglect is when the facility fails to provide the accepted standard of care, harming the resident due to substandard conditions.
What Should I Do If I Suspect My Loved One Is a Victim of Abuse or Neglect at a Nursing Home?
If you see the signs of abuse or neglect, you must act at once to protect the life and health of your loved one. It is advised that you reach out to our Oxford, MS law firm, Tannehill Carmean, for the legal assistance you need to move forward with legal action.
Do I Need to File a Nursing Home Lawsuit?
If your loved one has suffered physical, emotional, or financial harm due to abuse or neglect, you can file a lawsuit seeking compensation for all losses.
What Compensation Can Be Paid in a Nursing Home Abuse Case?
The compensation pursued by our attorney will include damages for the costs of medical care, nursing care, pain and suffering, emotional anguish, and other losses, both financial and personal. In some cases of egregious conduct, punitive damages could be awarded to punish the facility and deter future misconduct.
Why Choose Tannehill Carmean for Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect?
Our legal team at Tannehill Carmean offers supportive, empathetic legal counsel in nursing home abuse and neglect cases in Oxford, MS, and the rest of Mississippi. We are honored to have earned a reputation as the leading law firm in Oxford and for our two decades of service to the community. If you suspect that your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, we urge you to reach out to us at once to take action to protect the health and life of your loved one and protect the other residents of the nursing home.
For immediate assistance, please reach out to our team at Tannehill Carmean at 662-236-9996 or fill out our online form. We are here to help you seek justice for your loved one.
