Charleston Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer
Unable to care for themselves due to age or illness, many people, together with their families, make the decision to move into a nursing home in order to get the type of care and assistance they need. Sometimes nursing homes fail to provide the attention and level of treatment that they are supposed to, and in some tragic cases residents can fall victim to physical and psychological abuse while in the nursing home.
Because nursing home residents are some of society’s most vulnerable individuals, they can be easy targets for abuse and neglect. It is often hard for them to speak up about the mistreatment, either because they are too ill or because they are embarrassed or don’t want to get anyone in trouble. That means it’s very important for their family members and other loved ones to keep close tabs on them and serve as advocates when something goes wrong.
If your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect while living in a South Carolina nursing home, the personal injury attorneys at Joye Law Firm can help you protect them and recover the compensation they deserve.
Contact Our Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Today
The proven South Carolina nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Joye Law Firm can help you through the heartbreak that comes with the discovery that an elder loved one has suffered mistreatment. Respect, compassion and care are what you can expect from our lawyers and staff. Since 1968 we have helped injured people recover not just the money they are entitled to, but also their lives.
Let us help you too. Just Call Joye. You can reach us at (877) 537-1920 or fill out an online form for a free case review.
Joye Law Firm has offices in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, but our nursing home abuse attorneys are ready to take care of your case anywhere in South Carolina. We’ve successfully represented clients all over the state, including Florence, Richland County, Orangeburg, Columbia, Horry County (including Conway and North Myrtle Beach), North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville.
Experience Counts
The South Carolina nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Joye Law Firm have over 110 years of combined experience helping victims of life-changing injuries in South Carolina. Our lawyers have received an AV rating from the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell, and several have been recognized as Super Lawyers.
While every case is different, and past results are in no way intended to imply that a similar result can be obtained in a particular case, verdicts and settlements previously obtained by a law firm are an indication of the firm’s experience when it comes to serious injury cases. For more details about the results obtained for previous Joye Law Firm clients, please click on the Results tab on our home page.
About Nursing Home Abuse In South Carolina
South Carolina is home to nearly 200 nursing homes and thousands of nursing home residents, according to figures from the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Federal statistics show that a quarter of all nursing homes nationwide are cited each year for causing a resident’s death or injury.
It is very difficult to know the true number of nursing home neglect and abuse cases, because many if not most instances go unreported. One thing is clear — the problem is likely to get worse as the number of nursing home residents increases as the American population ages. The federal government estimates that the number of nursing home residents will increase from 1.6 million today to 6.6 million 40 years from now.
Because many nursing home residents are unable or reluctant to advocate for themselves, their family members and other loved ones must be vigilant for the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect, and must take the proper steps when they suspect something is wrong with a resident’s care.
Nursing home abuse takes several forms — primarily physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and financial exploitation.
- Physical abuse — This is essentially any use of force against a vulnerable person that was not the result of an unintentional accident. South Carolina’s Omnibus Adult Protection Act gives the following examples of physical abuse: “slapping, hitting, kicking, biting, choking, pinching, burning. …” Physical abuse can also include the inappropriate use of drugs to “chemically restrain” a patient.
- Emotional abuse — Nursing home personnel can inflict emotional abuse on residents by leaving them in a state of emotional distress, anxiety or fear. They can also ignore a resident or leave the person in isolation. The South Carolina Adult Protection Act defines it as “deliberately subjecting a vulnerable adult to threats or harassment or other forms of intimidating behavior causing fear, humiliation, degradation, agitation, confusion, or other forms of emotional distress.”
- Sexual abuse — This includes any nonconsensual sexual contact between nursing home personnel and a resident. Sexual abuse in a nursing home is particularly troubling because the resident is typically incapacitated to some degree, and the staff member generally has a degree of power, authority and dominance over them. Sexual abuse does not necessarily have to include touching. It could consist of forcing a resident to view pornography or other people’s sexual acts, or forcing the resident to undress for no reason.
- Financial exploitation — Because many nursing home residents are lonely and looking for friends, they can become an easy target for an unscrupulous nursing home staff member who sees the resident as a source of easy money. While residents can be the victims of outright theft, they are more likely to be scammed or tricked into giving away their life savings. They are also frequently victims of identity theft and health-care fraud, which is where a facility charges for services that are not provided — even though the resident might be in desperate need of them.
South Carolina Nursing Home Neglect
In addition to blatant, intentional abuse at the hands of their caregivers, nursing home residents can also be the victims of simple neglect. This is becoming more common as some nursing homes become understaffed or have a high turnover of underpaid and undertrained caregivers.
Overwhelmed facilities might fail to provide residents with proper hydration and nutrition. This can be a life-threatening problem, and many residents are not able to get food or drink for themselves — and they might not even be aware of their thirst and hunger.
Personal hygiene neglect is another serious problem. Residents might be left un-bathed in dirty clothes for hours or even days. It is also possible that soiled beds will be left unchanged, and the cleanliness of the actual facility might fall into an unsanitary condition.
Along with neglect of a resident’s hygiene and malnutrition, many nursing homes fail to take care of residents’ medical needs. They might fail to administer necessary medicines or treatments, and could neglect to treat cuts or other injuries that might result in infection. One of the most common outcomes of neglect is the development of bedsores or pressure ulcers. If someone is left sitting or lying in the same position for a long time, these sores can become large and deep, allowing infection to penetrate all the way to the bone.
Signs Of Nursing Home Neglect And Abuse
The best way to prevent your loved one from falling victim to serious neglect or abuse is to keep close tabs on them by visiting often. During your visits, you should keep an eye out for the following warning signs of abuse and neglect:
- Untreated cuts, wounds or sores.
- Soiled clothes or bedding.
- Signs of poor hygiene, including the smell of urine or feces.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Fearfulness or withdrawal from normal activities.
- Unexplained changes in alertness.
- Evidence of unexplained sexually transmitted diseases or injuries to the mouth, genitals, anus or breasts.
- Distress when being changed or bathed, or fear of a certain individual.
- Bruises or abrasions.
- Torn, stained or bloody clothes or bedding.
- Hair loss.
- Untreated bedsores.
- Unresponsiveness.
- Loss of bowel or bladder control.
- Unusual financial transactions.
- Strange behaviors.
- Staff won’t leave you alone with the resident.
- Staff won’t let you visit the resident.
If you see any of these conditions or other alarming symptoms, you should alert the nursing home’s administration about your concerns. If it’s a life-threatening situation, call 911.
Contact Our Charleston Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Today
If your elderly loved one has suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home, you can trust our dedicated attorneys to get them the money and benefits they are entitled to.
Call Joye Law Firm at (877) 537-1920 or fill out our free online case evaluation form.
