If You Suspect Your Loved One Was Abused or Neglected in a Nursing Home, Contact the Jacksonville, IL Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers at the Noll Law Office Today.
Nursing homes are supposed to provide nursing care and help with activities of daily living for those who need support and guidance. Yet, they may fail in this duty, and when they do, it can severely injure or even kill the resident. The Noll Law Office works diligently and aggressively to support victims of nursing home abuse and neglect as well as their families.
The lawyers at the Noll Law Office provide free initial consultations. You will meet with the lawyers who would handle to case from start to finish. They will give you an honest assessment of your claim and help you begin the investigative process.
The Noll family has significant ties to the Jacksonville, Illinois community. Daniel Noll graduated from Illinois College as did approximately 9 other family members going back two generations. The Noll Law Office is a locally owned and operated business that has been litigating cases in Central Illinois since 1948. Contact their Jacksonville, Illinois nursing home abuse lawyer to learn more about your legal options. Let their family help yours. They are from the community – for the community.
Case Illustration
Lauren, an 83-year-old woman, was placed in a nursing home after a fall where she broke her hip. Her family expected the facility to provide ongoing physical therapy services to rehabilitate her and help her with transferring to her walker from the sitting position on the bed. In addition, her family expected the nursing home to help her with simple walking following surgery. Lauren was otherwise healthy. Upon a visit one day, Lauren’s daughter smelled a foul odor coming from her mother. Thinking that she had not had a shower in a few days, Lauren’s daughter prepared a bath for her. When she was taking her clothes off, she saw a bedsore the size of a half dollar at the small of her back that had become infected.
After meeting with the lawyers from the Noll Law Office, an investigation was conducted. It was determined that the staff had not created a wound prevention plan, nor a skin integrity plan. Lauren had been left for many hours at night lying on her sacrum without a pressure-offsetting device by the nursing home staff. Fresh out of surgery, she did not realize how to do so on her own. Making matters worse, the staff did not check her skin or routinely help Lauren bathe. So, they did not notice the formation of the sore and allowed it to sit on contaminated bedsheets and other non-sanitary exposures which allowed an infection to set in. The wound was not bathed. It wasn’t debrided. No special wound nurse was called. Lauren had to go to the hospital to have surgery and incurred hundreds of thousands of dollars in surgery costs and post-surgical wound care treatment. The wound never fully healed. Lauren battled infections in the area for the rest of her life.
The Noll Law Office litigated the case and proved the nursing home was responsible because they failed to prevent the formation of the bedsores. Without the daughter’s visit, Lauren could have died.
Unfortunately, cases like this are not uncommon. The Noll Law Office provides the legal support and guidance you need in these difficult cases to help you to hold those accountable for your loved one’s pain and suffering and to fight in court for the compensation owed.
What Are the Duties of a Nursing Home in Illinois?
A nursing home has legal duties to provide adequate nursing care to residents and to contact physicians or other appropriate medical providers if a resident has a decline. The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act was passed by the Illinois legislature which provides residents with a bill of rights. The Nursing Home Care Act prohibits neglect and abuse of residents and provides legal remedies for victims.
If you feel that the nursing home your loved one lives at is not providing an appropriate level of care, act immediately. Have your loved one checked out by an outside medical provider and/or report to licensing authorities what you are observing. In particular, the Illinois Department of Public Health will investigate nursing home abuse and neglect, for free, and make a written report of its findings.
Generally speaking, nursing home staff are supposed to maintain a resident’s physical and mental health as much as possible, given the circumstances surrounding the resident’s condition. Some of the nursing home’s responsibilities to its residents are:
- Preparing a care plan, describing the services to be provided to residents after they are admitted to a facility;
- Assisting the resident with their activities of daily living, such as bathing, toileting, transferring, eating, and other activities as the resident’s condition requires;
- Preventing the formation of bedsores;
- Following up with the resident’s doctors and other medical providers, if the resident declines;
- Notifying the resident’s power of attorney or guardian, or other family members indicated in admittance forms if the resident takes a turn for the worse; and,
- Providing a safe place for rehabilitative services (for example physical therapy) following a resident’s surgery or another significant medical event.
Sadly, the most common injuries in nursing homes occur from simple neglect. Examples of nursing home neglect are:
- Failure to help residents to the bathroom so that they eventually fall when they try to go on their own;
- Failure to reposition a resident after significant surgeries to avoid the formation of bed sores;
- Failure to ensure that the resident is eating; and
- Failure to call a doctor when the resident is ill.
If any of these situations have occurred with your loved one, let the Noll Law Office’s nursing home abuse lawyers near Jacksonville, IL help to investigate your claim, and provide you with an expert legal opinion about the options available to you. The consultation is free.
Common Injuries and Causes
The injuries from nursing home abuse are often wide-ranging based on what has occurred. If you suspect any type of injury, report that immediately.
Common warning signs of abuse and neglect include:
- unexplained bruises and scratches on the body;
- unexplained significant weight loss;
- sudden development of pressure sores;
- falls (in particular in situations where no one witnessed the fall, and no one can provide the time that the resident was last checked on);
- unexplained loss – or too many – of a resident’s medication remaining in prescription bottles (especially pain medications);
- empty or uncompleted medical charts;
- no physician or specialist notification when a resident is sick; and
- unexplained, sudden death in an otherwise healthy resident.
What to Do If a Loved One Has Been a Victim
If a loved one may have suffered abuse at a nursing home, take action:
- Contact the medical services available in the area if you suspect your loved one is suffering from significant injury or a life-threatening condition.
- Make sure your loved one receives immediate medical care.
- File a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health – the lawyers are the Noll Law Office can tell you more about this at the first meeting.
- Take photos and gather statements from your loved one as to what has occurred.
- Obtain a complete copy of your loved one’s medical records from the nursing home and any other medical providers they have seen since they have been at the facility.
Even if you do all of this, you could still be overwhelmed and frustrated with knowing what your legal options are. By contacting the Noll Law Office’s nursing home neglect lawyers, they can provide you with specific steps to help you understand what has happened and what options you have moving forward. They represent clients in nursing home abuse and neglect cases in Jacksonville, Morgan County Illinois, and all of Illinois.
Choosing the Best Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer for My Loved One
Nursing home abuse and neglect cases are complicated. You need a highly skilled and experienced professional by your side. The Noll Law Office has that experience and a passionate team to work closely with you. Look for an attorney who:
- Has experience in nursing home abuse and neglect cases;
- Will retain appropriate experts who can review your loved one’s medical records;
- Offers the time and patience you need in this very difficult situation;
- Has a proven record of filing suits and litigating cases;
- Work on a contingency fee so you only pay if you obtain a settlement or jury verdict; and
- Will keep your case (and not pass it off to a junior associate) until the case is complete.
Nursing Home Abuse Case Process
The process of obtaining compensation and filing claims in these cases is often dependent on specific circumstances. However, the following often occurs:
- A family member or similar loved one begins to suspect nursing home abuse and neglect;
- The nursing home resident has to seek medical care because he or she is sick and/or injured;
- The family member learns of the sickness or injury, and files a complaint with the Illinois Department of Public Health or the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation;
- The family member obtains a copy of the medical records and gives a copy to the investigating governmental agency
- The family member contacts an attorney such as the Noll Law Office, who reviews the medical record and conducts an initial screening as to whether abuse or neglect occurred;
- If it appears that abuse or neglect may have occurred, the family member and the lawyer speak with a medical physician who specializes in geriatric and nursing home medicine, to obtain an expert opinion as to (1) what care should have been provided; and (2) what care was actually provided.
- The family member and the Noll Law Office attorneys have a meeting where an opinion is given as to the strength of the case and the practicalities of litigation.
Simply stated, sometimes an injury or sickness at a nursing home is just a sad accident. At other times, neglect or abuse has occurred. You deserve to put your mind at rest by reviewing the medical records and inquiring as to the circumstances as to you or your loved one suffered at a nursing home.
Do I Have a Case? – Your Jacksonville, IL Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Can Help You
To know if you have a case for abuse or neglect, contact the Noll Law Office today for a free initial consultation. Their nursing home abuse lawyers will work closely with you to determine what has occurred and how to move forward. They provide free consultations so you can have an honest legal opinion about your options.
How the Noll Law Office Will Help
The Noll Law Office is committed to providing you with exceptional legal service. Contact their nursing home abuse lawyer now to discuss your case. They are located only 30 minutes away from Jacksonville, Illinois, and are familiar with the Morgan County courthouse.
Let their local, experienced lawyers investigate and litigate your case. The lawyers you meet with at your initial consultation will be the lawyers who handle your case throughout its duration. You will have local lawyers who live and work in Central Illinois. They will be available to meet with you so that you will not need to drive to Chicago or St. Louis to do so. Their lawyers care about their clients and are focused on holding those who abuse or neglect nursing home residents responsible. Let their family help yours.