5 Reasons to Call a Nursing Home Lawyer

These are only a few examples, and there are many more. If you suspect or have witnessed your loved one suffering a serious injury (or worse) due to the care they received at a nursing home, you should seek legal consultation immediately.

Five Reasons You Should Call A Nursing Home Lawyer

Below are a few of the reasons why you should consider calling a nursing home lawyer when you suspect or believe you have proof of nursing home abuse or neglect.

1. The Nursing Home Is Not On Your Side

It’s crucial to remember that the nursing home is not on your side regarding that facility’s potential liability. These facilities often have attorneys begin defending them long before a lawsuit is filed or, at the very least, a manager or staff member tasked with protecting the nursing home. For this reason, you should have your own counsel when confronting and investigating potential abuse or neglect. Often a nursing home can make you believe it is on your side and that it will handle the matter internally without involving a lawyer. 

You shouldn’t allow this to happen as the interests of the nursing home are usually in direct conflict with your interests. The nursing home will likely try to convince you that it did nothing wrong or offer a long list of excuses and blame-shifting. It may even try to blame your loved one or other medical providers. 

Ultimately, if your relative has been affected by nursing home abuse or neglect, the facility is not going to be able to give you the justice you seek unless you have an experienced advocate capable of holding it accountable in a court of law.

2. You Need Assistance Gathering Evidence

It’s challenging to gather the evidence needed to prove nursing home neglect and abuse, so calling a lawyer for assistance early on is essential. You will need strong evidence of the mistreatment your relative has endured, and an attorney can get it for you. 

Additionally, it’s easy to overlook technical evidence when you’re trying to prove nursing home abuse and negligence. Much of the evidence you need will be located in the nursing home’s records, where your relative is housed. Nursing homes have been known to refuse to relinquish specific evidence you need voluntarily, and sometimes the evidence you seek could be destroyed or altered. 

Calling a nursing home lawyer as soon as you suspect nursing home abuse or neglect will place you in a better position. A lawyer can tell you what you should and shouldn’t say to the nursing home. Moreover, a nursing home lawyer can immediately investigate while the evidence you seek is still available. A lawyer will know the exact types of evidence you need to strengthen your claim. 

At our firm, we have experience with nursing home claims and can help you gather crucial evidence. Examples of the evidence we can collect on your behalf include:

• Victim’s medical records
• Caregiver’s keycard data
• Nursing home staff schedules
• Facility’s hiring and training procedures and records
• And more

3. To Help Value Your Damages

Nursing home abuse and neglect victims or their families have the right to seek compensation for past and future medical costs incurred due to mistreatment. You may be entitled to additional damages as well. 

When you speak with a nursing home lawyer, they can advise you on the damages you could be entitled to based on your specific case circumstances. In some instances, you might be able to recover punitive and non-economic damages.

4. To Ensure You Make No Mistakes

Nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuits can be incredibly complex and challenging to navigate. That’s why it’s easy to make critical mistakes if you don’t choose to speak with a lawyer and allow them to handle the documentation associated with filing your claim. An attorney will ensure all your paperwork is filed correctly and that no deadlines are missed. 

Additionally, a seasoned Ohio attorney can help you avoid making other mistakes like posting your case on social media, failing to keep all pertinent documentation, and providing harmful recorded statements.

5. You Need Help Reporting Nursing Home Abuse

When dealing with the trauma associated with finding out your vulnerable relative has been abused or neglected in a nursing home in Ohio, you may not know how to report the abuse to the appropriate authorities effectively. An Ohio nursing home lawyer can help guide you through the process of how and where to report the abuse in Ohio.

Get In Touch With An Ohio Attorney Today About Your Case

At The Henry Law Firm in Ohio, we are proud to offer our services to those who have been the victims of nursing home abuse and neglect. We can help you fight for the compensation and justice your loved one deserves. We offer free consultations and provide our services on a contingency fee basis, depending on your case’s circumstances. Contact us today.