Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse
Holding Nursing Homes Accountable
In an ideal world, nursing homes would offer a safe haven for our elderly and a place where you know your loved ones could find peace and be treated with respect. Sadly, this is not always the case. We have helped families across Oklahoma seek justice for the wrongdoing of nursing homes that injured or abused their loved ones.
When you partner with Maples, Nix, & Diesselhorst, our dedicated and hard-working group of nursing home abuse attorneys and staff fervently advocate for you and your loved ones. Our goal is to effect changes that rid the nursing home industry of the “profit over people” mentality. Nursing home neglect includes falls, bedsores, physical abuse, dehydration, medication errors, pressure ulcers, and other types of abuse and neglect involving residents in nursing homes. Nursing home negligence is completely preventable, and we hope our actions will result in justice for our clients and create enduring change for Oklahomans living in nursing homes in the future.
Our Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse Attorneys
L. Ray Maples II
Nicole R. Snapp-Holloway
Cody Roberson
Standing With You. Standing For Justice.
It takes courage to stand up for a loved one who has suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home. Whatever the situation, it is important to hold nursing homes accountable for their actions so other families, in the future, won’t suffer too. Our experienced team of nursing home neglect lawyers are prepared to take action with you.
Whether you or a loved one has experienced neglect, physical, emotional, medical, or sexual abuse at a nursing home, long-term care facility or assisted living center, our attorneys can help.
Signs of Malnutrition & Dehydration
Malnutrition and dehydration could indicate abuse or neglect at a nursing home facility. It is important to look for indicators, such as sudden weight loss, increased frailty and falls.
Bedsores or Pressure Ulcers
Bedsores are one of the most common signs of neglect in nursing homes. Not being moved or repositioned can often cause skin breakdown from the pressure to vulnerable areas of the body, such as the buttocks and heels.
Fall & Unexplained Injuries
Injuries such as broken or dislocated bones, bruises, or brain bleeds are indicators of neglect due to falls. These warning signs should be looked into as a sign of possible elder abuse at a nursing home.
More About Nursing Home Injuries
Winning Nursing Home Cases
Nursing home cases can be very complex. The nursing home team at Maples, Nix & Diesselhorst has the skill and experience as nursing home neglect lawyers to investigate, prepare, and obtain the justice you and your loved one deserve.
Reporting Abuse of Elders
If you suspect abuse or neglect of an elder, you should immediately report your suspicion to Adult Protective Services by calling their hotline at 1-800-522-3511, going to their website, or calling 911.
Standing Up for the Elderly
When your loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury or preventable death due to nursing home neglect or abuse, it is a stressful, emotional time. However, nursing home laws like the Nursing Home Care Act are meant to protect Oklahomans living in nursing home facilities.
Our nursing home team at Maples, Nix, & Diesselhorst has a proven track record of holding nursing homes accountable and is dedicated to obtaining justice for the victims of nursing home neglect and abuse.
What Does The Law Say About Nursing Home Care
In Oklahoma, the Nursing Home Care Act along with other state and federal laws and regulations exist to ensure that those who are in assisted living, nursing home or other long-term care centers are safe and adequately cared for.
In nursing home facilities residents or patients have the right to:
- Make independent personal decisions
- Make choices about what social, religious, and community activities to participate in
- Receive respectful and courteous treatment
- Recieve services and treatment in alignment with their preferences (as long as they can maintain health and safety)
- Be free from mental and physical abuse, corporal punishment, involuntary seclusion, and free from restraints not required for medical treatment
- Private communication
- Adequate medical care without discrimination, and autonomy in making medical care and treatment decisions
- Privacy and respect in medical treatment
- Keep and use personal belongings
- Present complaints without fear of retaliation or discrimination. Also, the right to contact law enforcement to report abuse or crimes
- Spousal visits
- Manage their own financial affairs
Often people consider nursing home abuse to mean physical abuse, but emotional abuse and neglect in nursing home facilities are often more prevalent than physical abuse. All forms of abuse violate the standard of care expected of nursing homes and caregivers and should be reported.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse
The National Center on Elder Abuse distinguishes seven different types of harm that can be taken against elderly people – especially those in the care of a nursing home or assisted living facility.
These are the types of harm they identify:
- Physical Abuse
- Sexual Abuse
- Emotional Abuse
- Financial Exploitation
- Neglect
- Abandonment
- Self-neglect
Sometimes neglect and abuse of residents in nursing homes can be masked as injury due to frailty, loss of balance, or slips. Sometimes, neglect is due to inadequate medical care or mistakes in pharmaceutical care. On your own, it can sometimes be difficult to prove abuse in a nursing home, but with the help of an experienced Oklahoma nursing home abuse attorney you can pursue justice.
If you suspect abuse of a loved one, trust your gut and take steps to report potential abuse. Reporting your suspicions should initiate an investigation and help protect your loved one in the care of the nursing home. Read more about the different types of nursing home abuse.
