While intentional abuse can and certainly does occur inside nursing homes and assisted living facilities around Texas, that is not the only way staff members and administrators of facilities could harm patients. For example, residents in nursing homes sometimes get hurt or become ill because someone failed to provide them with sufficient care.
Neglect in Houston nursing home abuse cases can be just as harmful as intentional and malicious actions, if not more so under certain circumstances. If you suspect your loved one is not receiving the care they are entitled to under the law, consider contacting a skilled nursing home abuse lawyer at our firm to discuss the possibility of civil litigation.
Neglect inside a nursing home can take several forms, stemming from numerous sources, not all of which are made by a single careless or reckless employee. For example, a nursing home caretaker who fails to periodically turn over an immobile resident to prevent bedsores from developing may not be at fault if their employer never trained them on properly caring for residents. Likewise, if an employer did not maintain diligent hiring practices to ensure they only brought in qualified staff members, a worker may not be liable for a patient’s damages.
Of course, leaving a resident unattended for too long is just one form that neglect in assisted living abuse claims may take. For example, depending on the circumstances, a nursing home staff member in Houston may neglect a resident by failing to check in on them regularly to see if they have fallen, not responding promptly to alarms or pages, failing to make sure residents eat, and not giving residents their prescribed medications.
In many cases, neglect results from unsanitary living conditions, which may dramatically increase a resident’s risk of sustaining life-threatening infections or illnesses. Finally, something as simple as failing to assess a patient’s condition correctly could lead to them suffering needless harm due to an untreated injury or sickness.
The symptoms that nursing home neglect may produce can be as varied as the forms nursing home neglect may take. In many cases, even attentive family members may miss signs of mistreatment if they are unsure what to look for. Important signs to look out for in assisted living facility patients include:
Any injuries and subsequent losses a nursing home resident in Houston suffers due to neglect in their assisted living facility could be used as evidence in an abuse claim.
Everyone who depends on around-the-clock care in a nursing home or assisted living facility deserves consideration and compassion from all staff members. Any failure to provide care that leads to an otherwise preventable illness or injury could justify legal action through a settlement demand or civil lawsuit.
Fortunately, a capable lawyer’s support can make a huge difference when recovering compensation for neglect in Houston nursing home abuse cases. Learn more by calling Roberts Markland LLP today.
