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Our law firm fights for the rights of victims of elder abuse and assaults
The abuse of a nursing home resident is never acceptable. Residents always deserve to be treated respectfully. If you suspect a loved one has been abused in a nursing home, you need experienced legal representation. The nursing home abuse attorneys at Keating Law Offices, P.C. can help.
There are different types of nursing home abuse, including:
- Physical abuse
- Physical restraint
- Shaking
- Verbal abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual assault
Nursing home abuse cases can be difficult to prove but you know when something is wrong. do not ignore that feeling. Our experienced attorneys know how to investigate and gather evidence. We can determine what’s been happening and advise you about your loved one’s rights and your legal options.
Abuse by staff
In Illinois, a nursing home is required to protect its residents from being abused by employees of the nursing home facility. Abuse by nursing home staff can be physical or emotional. A nursing home that fosters an unsafe and dangerous environment in which employees physically abuse residents is in violation of state and federal laws.
Emotional abuse may take the form of a nursing staff member verbally yelling at a resident or it can be less obvious. If nursing staff members leave residents isolated in their rooms or deny them access to activities, that is also a form of emotional abuse.
Staff members can include nurses, aides, and other workers. Once a nursing home becomes aware that a resident has been abuse or neglected by a staff member it has additional duties it must fulfill to the patient and the patient’s family. These legal obligations include conducting a thorough investigation, informing the victim resident’s family of the incident, and reporting the incident to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Keating Law Offices, P.C. has successfully obtained settlements on behalf of victims of nursing home abuse and neglect at the hands of nursing home staff members. We will help your family member obtain the justice they deserve.
Assaults by other residents or visitors
In Illinois, a nursing home is required to not only protect residents from being abused directly by employees of the nursing home facility, but to also protect residents from abuse caused by other residents and/or visitors.
All Illinois nursing homes have a duty to protect residents from each other. Many nursing home residents suffer dementia and other forms of mental illness that may result in violent outbursts. All too frequently, nursing home residents with mental illness are housed in close quarters and not properly supervised.
The failure to properly supervise mentally ill residents may result in serious physical and emotional injury to the other residents. Under Illinois law, the nursing home is responsible for harm caused by unsupervised residents.
In Illinois, nursing home residents are protected under the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act. All long-term care facilities are required to comply with the Act. The Nursing Home Care Act defines the minimum standards for nursing homes in Illinois including a patient’s right to be free from abuse and neglect.
The nursing home is accountable for the actions of its unsupervised residents and/or visitors. Injuries resulting from an attack by another unsupervised resident and/or visitor are a symptom of neglect, just like a bed sore or malnutrition.
If you think a loved one is being abused in a nursing home, it’s important to get legal advice as soon as possible. The safety of your loved one is our top priority, and we want to make sure he or she is no longer in danger. We can then help you take legal action to recover financial compensation to hold negligent parties accountable.
Learn more about how a nursing home abuse attorney can help. Contact us for a free consultation.
