THE LAW OFFICES OF
BARRY G. DOYLE, P.C.
100 W MONROE ST.,
STE 2100
CHICAGO, IL 60603
PHONE: 312.263.1080
FAX: 312.263.0153
Chicago Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Serving Chicago, Aurora, Rockford, and Surrounding Areas
Please select from the following questions:
- How do I recognize nursing home abuse?
- If I suspect abuse in a nursing home, what can I do?
- What avenues do you use to uncover neglect and abuse?
- How are nursing homes penalized for cases of abuse?
- What can I do to put a stop to abuse or neglect?
- Will a claim of nursing home abuse endanger my family?
- How can I find a safe facility for my loved one?
- What experience does Mr. Doyle have with these types of cases?
1.How do I recognize nursing home abuse?
Don't write off anything that seems unusual, such as new bruises, changes in physical health, sudden depression, or refusal to eat. If new injuries are explained by workers as accidental, collaborate with your loved one and make sure they know they can talk to you about anything.
2.If I suspect abuse in a nursing home, what can I do?
The best thing you can do to ensure the safety of your loved one is to stay as involved as possible in their lives and medical treatment plans. Keep communication open and demand explanations for any physical injuries, emotional changes, or changes in treatment or medication.
Physical abuse is more obvious than emotional, sexual, or financial abuse, but with almost every type of uncovered abuse case, it is the family members who take notice and come forward with suspicions.
3.What avenues do you use to uncover neglect and abuse?
We follow a protocol for identifying and proving abuse or neglect. Our experts and investigators will perform interviews, do care assessments, and compile medical documentation to spot any deficiencies in your loved one's care. Our experience in assessing nursing home care, knowledge of standard industry practices, and the governing state and federal regulations enables us to evaluate what has happened in the facility.
4.How are nursing homes penalized for cases of abuse?
The involved parties may be fired, and the facility may:
- Be fined
- Be shut down
- Lose their medical and operation licenses
- Be denied state or federal funding
The victim of abuse and neglect may be awarded financial compensation for the mistreatment in a civil lawsuit.
5.What can I do to put a stop to abuse or neglect?
If you suspect any neglect or abuse, follow through with your inclinations and hire a nursing home negligence attorney to help investigate. You may consider bringing a civil suit against the facility.
- The Illinois Department of Public Health also investigates allegations of abuse and neglect, and citations issued by them can provide a strong basis for moving ahead with a civil suit
- Criminal charges may also be filed by the state
- Local adult protective services may want to conduct their own investigation
6.Will a claim of nursing home abuse endanger my family?
It is illegal for a nursing home or its staff to retaliate against a resident or the resident's family for asserting their rights to insure that the resident is kept free of abuse and neglect.
Any action taken by the nursing home against you for standing up for your loved one's rights gives you an independent basis for suing the nursing home.
7.How can I find a safe facility for my loved one?
There are no guarantees that any facility will offer proper care for your loved one. Even the most expensive, high-end nursing homes have instances of sub-standard care.
No amount of investigation can assure proper care, but these steps can help:
- When inspecting the facility, look to see that it is clean and relatively free of unpleasant odors, and that the residents are clean, properly dressed, and free of obvious signs of injury.
- Check for online information about the facility with Medicare and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
- Look to see that the facility has (a) a lower-than-average percentage of residents with poor quality of care indicators and (b) a higher-than-average staffing ratio, especially with registered nurses and CNAs.
- Look at the surveys to see the number of complaint investigations (whether a citation was issued or not). If a citation was issued to the nursing home during the survey, see what it was for.
- Citations relating to substandard care such as for pressure sores or falls should be a greater cause of concern than citations relating to the condition of the premises themselves, such as unlighted exit signs.
8.What experience does Mr. Doyle have with these types of cases?
Mr. Doyle has an active practice in handling all types of abuse and neglect cases throughout the entire state of Illinois, and has handled many cases to successful conclusions. His understanding of the nursing home industry, the regulations, and medical issues concerning senior citizens allow him to efficiently prosecute cases of abuse and neglect.
Don't allow your family member to be subjected to neglect or mistreatment. Contact Chicago nursing home abuse attorney Barry Doyle for your free legal consultation. No recovery, no fee.
