Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in New Jersey

Strong Representation for Vulnerable People

A nursing home is a place where your elderly loved one can receive the care and attention they need — at least it should be. Sadly, not all nursing homes live up to the standards we expect of them. At worst, nursing home staff and administration can be negligent or even abusive, causing harm to vulnerable residents.

If your family has been impacted by the tragedy of nursing home abuse, you don’t have to accept what happened to your loved one. Negligent parties must be held accountable — and can be — through a legal claim. The Law Offices Of James C. DeZao, P.A. team is committed to helping you understand your rights in this situation and fight for those rights.

Schedule a free consultation by calling (973) 358-6134 or filling out our contact form.

Types of Abuse

Regardless of the type of home and the specific population it serves, nursing home abuse accidents occur. These range from the relatively minor to the life-threatening.

Common types of abuse include:

• Physical nursing home abuse includes things like being restrained and staff using unnecessary force. It can also include negligence like failure to properly supervise residents, medication errors, delayed medical care, malnutrition, and dehydration.
• Emotional abuse includes things like yelling at residents, being unnecessarily aggressive or hostile, using overly controlling supervision strategies, and all forms of verbal abuse.
• Financial abuse includes stealing money, checks, debit cards, and credit cards from residents. In severe cases, abusers can even steal the identity of residents and use it to open new accounts or take out loans on their behalf.
• Sexual abuse includes unwanted touching or groping, sexual assault, rape, and taking sexual pictures or videos. Due to its nature, nursing home sexual abuse often includes other types of abuse, like physical and emotional abuse. This kind of abuse is also the hardest for residents to talk about and seek justice for.

How Do You Know If a Loved One Has Become a Victim?

Even though your loved ones trust you, they may be too embarrassed to tell you about what’s happening inside their assisted living facility. They could even be too confused to realize that they are being victimized in the first place, either because of medication, manipulation, or the effects of their underlying conditions. Therefore, it is important that you keep an eye open for the common signs and symptoms of abuse.

These include:

• Dehydration
• Malnutrition
• Extreme weight loss
• Bedsores
• Hair loss
• Gangrene
• Aspiration pneumonia
• Muscle cramps or contractions
• Depression or an unexplained change in demeanor
• Broken bones or other injuries caused by falling
• Suspicious injuries or bruises
• Suspicious or sudden death

What to Do if You Suspect that Your Loved One is Being Abused in a Nursing Home

If you have noticed signs of nursing home abuse, the care of your loved one is the most important thing. You should remove the victim from the abusive nursing home as soon as possible and get them any necessary medical care. It will be helpful to your case to gather any evidence you have available.

Once your loved one is safe, you should contact us to learn more about how you can hold the nursing home accountable and recover compensation for the harm that your family member has suffered. You have legal options — negligent caregivers and facility administrators must pay for what they did.

Who Can Sue a Nursing Home in New Jersey?

Subject to the facts and circumstances of the case, either the resident or their family can file a lawsuit against a nursing home. Depending on the resident’s mental state, the family may be able to allege medical malpractice or personal injury on the patient’s behalf.

In the event that a resident dies as a result of nursing home negligence, an attorney can help your family bring a wrongful death action to recover for monetary and emotional loss.

What Is the Statute of Limitations on Nursing Home Lawsuits in NJ?

In New Jersey, personal injury lawsuits (including most lawsuits for nursing home malpractice, abuse, or neglect) must be filed within two years of the date of the injury. The time limit is referred to as a “statute of limitations.” The failure to bring the lawsuit within the two-year period can forever bar you from seeking justice for your claim in the courts.

Free Consultations

If you or a loved one has incurred injury, expense, or distress as a result of elder abuse or nursing home negligence, The Law Offices Of James C. DeZao, P.A. can help.

We take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means we don’t charge for our services unless we recover compensation for you or your family.

If you are interested in speaking with our New Jersey nursing home abuse attorney, contact us online or call (973) 358-6134 today.