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Nursing home neglect is on the rise in Chicago, Illinois, with residents reporting emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation. Common signs of neglect include lack of basic amenities, unclean environment, unexplained changes in behavior, and isolation.
The Department of Health in Illinois (IDPH) conducts annual inspections to ensure care facilities observe state-specific nursing home laws and regulations. On the other hand, CMS ensures that nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding comply with federal regulations, like the Nursing Home Reform Act.
The Nursing Home Reform Act is a federal law that was passed in 1987 and established a set of minimum standards of care for nursing homes that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs. It requires states to enforce these standards through regular inspections and monitoring.
A bedsore lawsuit is a time-consuming process. At your initial consult, the attorney will have many specific and pointed questions about the bedsores you’ve suffered and any circumstances pertaining to how you got them. The lawyer will need to see your medical records to determine whether you’ve ever been diagnosed with a condition that is considered to be a common risk factor for bedsores. He or she will ask about the treatment you received at the facility, and specifically, if you notified the staff of any discomfort you were feeling or asked them to check for bedsores.
If you suspect or see signs of maltreatment, following these tips on how to prove nursing home neglect can help you protect your loved one.
If you have a family member in a nursing home, it’s essential to have power of attorney (POA) documents in place, especially if the family member has Alzheimer’s or dementia. If your loved one loses his or her ability to communicate about nursing home problems such as mistreatment or neglect, you must be prepared to step in on your loved one’s behalf. Having power of attorney allows you to file a nursing home neglect lawsuit in court.
In the United States, the average lawsuit for nursing home abuse settles out of court for approximately $406,000, but a successful court trial can have even a higher payout. When physical and emotional abuse happens, elderly patients suffer a variety of negative health conditions that lead to immobility and premature death.
When nursing home neglect causes injuries, family members can file a personal injury negligence lawsuit in civil court to recover damages for a variety of expenses.
Nursing home negligence can be reported through national and state organizations, local law enforcement, regional help hotlines, a long-term care ombudsman, and medical professionals.
In a recent Kaiser Health investigation, reports show that hundreds of in-home hospice patients and their families have been abandoned by hospice caregivers.