South Carolina Personal Injury Attorney Fighting Nursing Home Negligence and Abuse
Andy Arnold was not always a personal injury attorney. That changed when Mr. Berry came to his Greenville, SC office and told him the story of his mother. This nursing home negligence case changed him and his law practice. Since getting the largest verdict in Union County’s history (at the time), Andy Arnold has represented dozens of individuals who have been injured from negligence of nursing homes. Today, the Law Office of W. Andrew Arnold offers free consultations to families of injured nursing home residents. Whether these cases involve neglect, elder abuse, or medical malpractice, South Carolina attorney Andy Arnold wants to help.
Signs of Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
When you entrust the care of your loved one to a nursing home, you expect them to receive the medical attention and basic necessities that they need and deserve. Unfortunately, sometimes long-term care facilities are understaffed or employ people who should not be in the care-giving field. Because of this, nursing home negligence can take the form of medical malpractice, elder abuse, or sheer neglect. It is important that you recognize the signs of nursing home negligence, including medical malpractice.
Call or email our Greenville personal injury attorney at the first signs of neglect, which include:
1. Repeated falls
Accidents happen. However, residents in nursing care require supervision and the assistance of devices to help the move about. Residents should not fall repeatedly, and if a resident is falling and getting injured, this is an indication of neglect.
2. Fractures of unknown origin
Although nursing homes swear that bones just spontaneously break, this is just not true. Almost all the time, a fracture is the result of trauma and most of the time, trauma is the result of negligence. When a nursing home tells the family they do not know how a resident broke a bone, this should be a warning.
3. Dehydration
Hydration in critical to health, and failure to properly hydrate residents can be an obvious sign of neglect, bordering on medical malpractice.
4. Bedsores
Bedsores are preventable. The mere existence of a bedsore may indicate a failure to properly reposition a resident, to properly hydrate a resident, and failure to get the resident out of bed and moving about.
5. Weight loss
Malnutrition is the silent epidemic in our nursing homes. Malnutrition can lead to infections and bedsores. Without proper nutrition, a resident’s body cannot fight the infections nor heal the bedsores. If a resident loses more than 10% of her body weight in a 90 day period, there is a problem and it is likely the result of insufficient staffing.
6. Staffing
Have trouble finding a nurse or CNA when you need help? Are important aspects of care not getting done? Understaffing is both a cause and effect of neglect. What are the hours per patient day of a nursing home? Go to www.medicare.gov. This site’s “Nursing Home Compare” section contains information about a nursing home’s staffing levels as well as inspections by DHEC.
Why You Need a Skilled Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer
Remember: Nursing homes have lawyers who know all the defenses and tricks of the trade to protect their clients from responsibility. To be successful at a lawsuit against a nursing home, you need an aggressive personal injury and medical malpractice attorney with experience arguing your case. Andy Arnold is that lawyer. Contact our Greenville, SC law firm for a free nursing home negligence consultation.