Peck Ritchey, LLC > Nursing Home Abuse/Neglect > Nursing Home Negligence

Nursing Home Negligence Lawyers

When you make the difficult decision to place your elderly loved one in a nursing home, you usually do so because you feel that the facility can provide your relative with better care than you can. Tragically, sometimes these care facilities violate our trust by being negligent in their care. If your loved one has been the victim of nursing home negligence, the lawyers at Peck Ritchey, LLC are ready to assess your case and help you get the compensation that your family deserves.

The Chicago nursing home negligence attorneys at Peck Ritchey, LLC are dedicated to getting you and your family on the path to healing and a back on track to a normal life. Call us today at (312) 201-0900 to set up a 100% free of charge initial consultation.

Why Hire a Lawyer to Help with My Nursing Home Negligence Case?

Evidence of negligence can sometimes be obvious, but if the neglect is psychological or emotional, it can be much harder to prove. A qualified nursing home negligence lawyer can guide you through challenging legal processes and work to help you win compensation for your family in order to get your loved one on the road to recovery. Due to the large number of parties often involved with a negligence claim, you should not attempt to navigate these processes on your own. A qualified legal professional will be able to work with you on the unique details of your case.

How Can Peck Ritchey, LLC Help?

Peck Ritchey, LLC has over 100 years of combined experience helping clients in nursing home abuse cases in the Chicago area. All of our practice areas focus on helping the elderly, from nursing home negligence to estate planning and Alzheimer’s disease care. We are a highly decorated firm in practice areas related to elder care, and a member of the Elder Care Matters Alliance. Our lawyers have also been named Super Lawyers in Illinois, and have maintained a perfect 10 rating on Avvo, a leader in legal services.

At Peck Ritchey, LLC, our award-winning lawyers promise to fight to hold those who are guilty of nursing home neglect financially accountable for their actions. Our Chicago-area nursing home negligence attorneys are committed to providing you and your family with compassionate and capable legal services.

What is Negligence?

In personal injury law, there are four components of negligence. These components are:

  • Duty of care: In nursing home negligence cases, duty of care is the easiest component to prove. Nursing homes have a duty to keep their residents healthy and safe, both mentally and physically.
  • Violation of duty of care: You must demonstrate that the nursing home violated their duty of care in some way. How you prove this will vary depending on the specific kind of abuse that your relative experienced.
  • Causation: The violation of the duty of care must have directly caused your loved one’s injuries. A variety of evidence can come into play here, including medical records, witness testimony, consulting experts, and more.
  • Damages: Your loved one’s injuries must have caused them significant damages, which you can prove by providing medical bills, psychiatric records, and more.

You must prove these four components by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning it is more likely than not that negligence occurred.

How to Determine if Negligence Has Occurred

If you believe that a loved one in a nursing home is suffering from negligence at the hands of a nursing home, it can be necessary to look beyond the small injuries that the elderly are susceptible to on a daily basis. Instead, look for patterns of behavior on the part of both your loved one and their caregivers. Unfortunately, individuals who are victims of nursing home abuse and neglect often do not feel comfortable speaking up about the neglect they are facing due to fear of retaliation from the caregiving staff. Signs of neglect thus arise over time, and may include continuous unexplained injuries, falls, bedsores, and unusual emotional withdrawal or depression.

If you believe your loved one is suffering from nursing home neglect, you should work to create an open dialogue with that person in order that they may be more forthcoming about the neglect that they may be facing. If they are still reluctant to speak up, contact Peck Ritchey, LLC for help.

Signs of Nursing Home Negligence

Negligence can result from a number of lapses at the nursing home. The caregivers or staff may not have your loved one’s best interest at heart, or the facilities may be underequipped. Some of the most common signs of nursing home negligence include, but are not limited to:

  • Unexplained bruises or other injuries
  • Repeated falls: This is especially concerning if falls are not isolated incidents or happen within the presence of a caretaker
  • Bedsores: This is a sign that your loved one may not be getting adequate supervision or is being denied mobility
  • Emotional withdrawal or agitation towards the individual’s family or their caregivers: This is especially concerning if your loved one seems hesitant to explain why they feel distant or antagonistic towards their caregivers
  • Depression that suddenly arises
  • Lack of interest in hobbies or other regular activities that the individual typically enjoys
  • Staff using medication or sedatives in lieu of mandated supervision/caretaking time

Moreover, if nursing home staffers are unable to explain why any of the above scenarios have arisen with regard to your loved one, this is often a warning sign that a nursing home staff member may be responsible for negligence.

Contact Peck Ritchey, LLC Today

Unfortunately, sometimes the trust that you place in a facility to provide care for an elderly loved one can be violated. When an employee or corporation does not take appropriate steps to ensure the highest standard of care, Peck Ritchey, LLC is here to help.

If your loved one has been the victim of nursing home negligence, we urge you to contact our firm us as soon as possible to ensure that you file your claim within the statute of limitations. To schedule a free consultation with one of our nursing home abuse lawyers, call us today at (312) 201-0900.

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Attorney Kyle Fahey handled our matter with skill and professionalism, and was always responsive. 10/10, would work with him and the firm again.

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