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cook county nursing home abuse lawyerState and federal laws are designed to protect nursing home residents and assisted living residents from abuse. Unfortunately, protecting residents is easier said than done. Nursing home residents may not be able to say they are abused because they have dementia or are afraid to speak up. Loved ones need to be their advocates. 

Nursing home abuse can take many forms, from emotional to physical. If your loved one is spending their last years at a nursing home, they deserve dignity and quality care. More than 1.4 million people are living in nursing homes. This blog will cover how to recognize the signs of physical abuse in a nursing home resident.

Noticing Nursing Home Abuse

Abuse is prevalent in nursing homes because many older people are vulnerable to abuse due to health issues, including conditions causing cognitive impairment. Detecting nursing home abuse may not be easy, but your loved ones are counting on you to be vigilant. Here are some signs that may indicate abuse:

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Ensuring Nursing Home Safety

Posted on in Nursing Home Abuse

cook county nursing home abuse lawyerFox News Channel reported last month that the buildings department in Chicago fined the owner of a senior housing facility $1,500 following the deaths of three residents during a brief May heat wave. The buildings department found 11 code violations. The story is alarming to many people who have loved ones living in nursing homes in the Chicago area.

Everybody wants to assume the nursing home they are leaving their loved one at will be committed to providing the best possible care, but the unfortunate truth remains that too many nursing homes cut back on their services as soon as guests leave and nursing home abuse occurs in too many instances. 

Nursing Home Examination Checklist

When you are in the process of examining nursing homes for your loved one, begin by ensuring a nursing home is Medicaid certified, meaning they have passed an inspection by a state government agency. Also ensure a nursing home offers specialized services, such as special care units for residents with dementia.

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chicago nursing home abuse lawyerThere was a disturbing series of new stories published recently, with WTTW-TV reporting on October 12 that one Chicago hospital has seen at least seven resident deaths and at least 72 citations since January 1, 2017, more than any other Illinois hospital monitored by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Chicago Sun-Times reported on October 17 that an 87-year-old woman was found beaten to death Saturday in a senior home on the South Side.

People are always shocked to learn they are dealing with nursing home abuse, but abuse can be a much more complicated area to handle in wrongful death cases. It is important for families who have questions about the death of one of their loved ones in a nursing home to immediately contact a skilled Chicago nursing home abuse attorney.

How Nursing Home Wrongful Death Claims Work

When you believe that a nursing home was responsible for your loved one’s death, you will need to keep in mind what you are going to have to prove. Namely, you will have to prove that a nursing home had a legal obligation to ensure the safety of the deceased, the nursing home did not take the necessary safety precautions to safeguard the deceased, and the failure was the actual and legal cause of the wrongful death.

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elmhurst nursing home abuse lawyerSexual abuse of a nursing home resident can be incredibly difficult for family members to identify and address to satisfaction. Anybody who is dealing with a nursing home abuse case in which they believe their loved one was sexually abused should immediately contact a Chicago nursing home abuse attorney.

Certain sexual abuse cases could result in both civil and criminal liability issues for nursing homes and their employees. People should familiarize themselves with some of the more common signs of sexual abuse so they can know how to spot when their loved one may be in danger. 

How Common Sexual Abuse Really Is 

CNN reported in 2017 that over 16,000 sexual abuse complaints were reported since 2000 in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. It also reported that 226 nursing homes were cited for failure to protect residents from substantiated sexual abuse between 2010 and 2015, and approximately 60 percent led to fines of over $9 million.

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chicago nursing home abuse lawyerThe National Ombudsman Resource Center reports that the Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman Program is authorized under the Older Americans Act and is administered at the state level, meaning every state has an Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The program provides residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities with access to advocacy for ensuring they receive the quality of care and quality of life they need and legally deserve.

When a family has concerns about potential nursing home abuse or neglect involving their loved one, it can cause many people to begin asking questions for which there are not always easy answers. It is important to understand exactly which kinds of services the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program may offer.

Provisions of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program 

The 2nd Quarterly Report from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) included more than 100 licensees in Chicago. The IDPH initiated actions against these facilities for being in violation of the Nursing Home Care Act.

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