Knowing When to Hire a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Chicago, IL

Unfortunately, many Chicago nursing home residents deal with abuse and neglect behind the scenes of their nursing homes every single day. If you suspect abuse is happening, or if you know abuse is happening, you may need to hire a nursing home lawyer to help you sort out the situation. This guide will help you know when to get into contact with a nursing home lawyer in your area: 

Stay Connected with Your Loved One

One of the best ways to curb nursing home abuse is to stay connected with your loved one. If they know they can trust you, they will be much more likely to inform you if they are at risk of abuse, or if they are currently experiencing abuse. Additionally, they will feel comfortable informing you about any negligent behavior or site maintenance that’s happening behind the scenes at their nursing home.

If you discover that a loved one is being abused or neglected, you’ll need that connection with your loved one to address the abuse in a timely fashion. The sooner you’re in the circle, the sooner you can reach out to a Chicago nursing home abuse lawyer to help you with your case. More on this later on in the article. 

What to Look for in a Chicago, IL Nursing Home

If you want your loved one to be comfortable and safe during their nursing home stay, you need to entrust them to a home with a fantastic, consistent, and proven record of excellent patient care. The more you trust the home, the more you can rest easy that your elderly loved one can safely and happily adjust to their new lifestyle. This time is never easy for patients, however, so being there to help through the process at every step is highly recommended if you can. 

If your elderly loved one has certain hobbies or interests, you can also search for nursing homes in the Chicago area that have programs that support those interests. The more community-focused a nursing home is, the happier your loved one will be there. More community-centered nursing homes are also less often linked to abuse and neglect scandals as well, so making the extra effort during the nursing home search process is incredibly important to your loved one’s future. 

Watching for Signs of Abuse

Unfortunately, there is a wide range of abuse scenarios that nursing home patients face in Chicago every single year. Knowing how to watch for signs of financial, physical, mental, and sexual abuse can help you keep your loved one safe and happy. If your elderly loved one experiences sudden mood swings, dehydration, malnutrition, unexplained injuries, or violent behavior, it may be a sign that nursing home abuse is happening behind the scenes. Staying determined, and acting quickly is key if you suspect your loved one is suffering from behind-the-scenes abuse. If you suspect abuse, you should contact a trusted Chicago nursing home lawyer ASAP to help get the situation sorted. 

Watching for Signs of Neglect

Neglectful behavior from nursing home staff members can be just as destructive and dehumanizing for patients as abusive behavior. A nursing home has to be kept clean, orderly, and hazard-free to ensure patients do not fall victim to accidents or are burdened by a lack of care infrastructure, after all. The more in sync, you are with the going-ons of the nursing home your loved one is in, and the more up-to-date you are on any construction projects happening at the home, the better. This in-sync behavior and guardianship can help you protect your loved one, and other residents at their Chicago nursing home, safe from neglectful staff members or business practices. 

How Can a Nursing Home Lawyer Help?

Nursing home lawyers are experts at navigating the nursing home system, and they understand all the laws and state guidelines that nursing home directors and staff members have to follow to keep patients safe. When these laws, guidelines, and patients’ rights are violated, a nursing home lawyer can step in and ensure that the victims receive justice and that the violators are punished both financially and legally.

When a nursing home patient experiences abuse or neglect by the very people they’ve entrusted their life and care to, they deserve restitution for the suffering they’ve endured. For this reason, you and your elderly loved one should never hesitate to contact a nursing home lawyer during your time of need. Your actions could not only save the life of your loved one but of other patients that are experiencing abuse behind the scenes at their Chicago, IL nursing home as well.