Nursing home abuse and neglect cases accepted in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Montgomery County, and throughout other parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. FREE CONSULTATIONS (215) 985-0777

Nursing Home Abuse & Injury Lawyers

2020 Nursing Homes & COVID-19 Deaths

Our law firm is monitoring the shocking increase in nursing home deaths due to coronavirus (COVID-19). Around the Philadelphia, PA and NJ area, hundreds of nursing home residents have died due to the virus. Families have been left in the dark, and even lied to about the health and status of their loved ones.

Under current laws in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, surviving family members may be able to seek justice against a negligent nursing home due to the death of their loved one during the pandemic. This includes residents who died due to a coronavirus infection, as well as residents who died due to other causes, such as infected bed sores or a fatal fall accident. Due to widespread lack of preparation in some of our area’s nursing homes, treatment and care of residents is extraordinarily deficient.

If you would like to discuss a nursing home injury or death case in the PA and NJ area, including Philadelphia, Delaware or Montgomery counties, please contact us for a FREE consultation at (215) 985-0777.

Nursing Home Injury Lawsuits – Why Our Lawyers Care

The nursing home neglect and abuse attorneys at Namerow Law, P.C. handle nursing care negligence lawsuits in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area. We have earned the trust of the community to protect their loved ones from nursing home neglect, abuse and injury.

We are passionate about fighting for the rights of nursing home residents. Our lawyers have been helping injured individuals for years and have extensive experience in all types of injury cases.

Jordan Namerow, a PA and NJ nursing home abuse/neglect and injury lawyer, was selected as one of the “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” by the American Society of Legal Advocates (ASLA).  Mr. Namerow is also a “Top Rated Personal Injury – Plaintiff Attorney in Philadelphia, PA” as rated by Super Lawyers magazine.

Nursing Home Abuse & Corporate Interests

The decision to place a loved one into a nursing home or care facility is often one of life’s most difficult choices. Family members are often forced to place their trust in a nursing home and its staff to provide comprehensive care for elderly relatives.

Many nursing homes operate for profit and are run by large corporations. In fact, there are many local nursing homes in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area which are run by very large corporations that operate multiple nursing homes throughout the state. Unfortunately, corporations charged with the responsibility for operating nursing care facilities often lose sight of their objective to care for the elderly in favor of seeking and protecting profits, solely to benefit shareholders.

Under the laws of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, nursing home operators (corporations and companies) can be held liable for negligence that leads to injuries. It is important to note that nursing home negligence lawsuits are not just limited to nursing homes. Other long term care facilities are often guilty of negligence which leads to an accident or injury, such as:

• adult residential care facilities for mentally/physically disabled persons,
• rehabilitation care facilities, and
• specialized nursing care facilities.

Abuse & Accidents in Nursing Homes

Many cases of nursing home neglect and abuse involve urinary tract infections, aspiration and pressure and bed sores.  In addition, due to neglect, a nursing home resident may wander away and suffer serious injuries or worse, die. There have been multiple documented cases of nursing home residents wandering away and suffering fatal injuries, such as getting hit by a car.

Civil lawsuits against PA and NJ nursing homes often fall under three types of cases:

• fall accidents,
• neglect, and/or
• abuse.

Nursing home fall accidents are very common and usually involve:

• falls from beds,
• falls from wheelchairs, or
• other fall accidents due to negligence.

For instance, a PA nursing home resident needs to use a bed rail on a regular basis to prevent the resident from falling off the bed. A nurse comes in to change the resident, and puts the bed rail down so she can change the resident. However, the nurse forgets to put the bed rail back and leaves. The resident later falls off the bed and sustains serious injuries.

Neglect cases involve lack of monitoring or adherence to a resident’s plan of care. For instance, a bed ridden resident needs to be moved on a regular basis throughout the day. However, the staff does not follow the plan of care. As a result, the resident develops bed sores.

Abuse cases may involve nursing home employees committing physical abuse. They may also involve a resident being physically abused by another resident.

Whether due to neglect, abuse or negligence, nursing home residents who suffer traumatic and trying medical events can develop an infection, or may need further medical treatment, including surgery.  Many nursing home residents already have complex medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and dementia. When coupled with neglect, abuse or accidents, nursing home residents with these conditions often deteriorate quickly and never recover.

Every resident has the right to expect he or she will be well nourished, hydrated, assisted with activities of daily living, including issues related to incontinence, and treated in a comprehensive manner in the context of each individual’s mental or physical challenges that may preclude them from performing these tasks without assistance.  Our elderly family members and loved ones are entitled to a dignified existence and have the right to expect a certain level of care that is appropriate for the well-being of the resident.

Related: Nursing Home Abuse & Assault – Civil Cases (Bringing a Lawsuit)

Why Nursing Home Abuse & Accidents Occur

The number one reason why nursing home neglect, abuse or accidents occur has to do with staffing. Poor/low resident to staff ratios negatively impact the quality of care. Simply put, a single nurse’s aide cannot handle an entire floor of residents in a given shift. However, oftentimes, nursing home residents are placed in such situations.

In addition, poor training at the upper levels often leads to pervasive patterns of neglect, abuse or accidents. For instance, a corporate manager is not trained about internal policies and procedures related to reporting accidents. Because the manager is not trained properly, he or she cannot train nursing home staff on the same policies/procedures. Consequently, failure to report accidents in a timely manner can have life-threatening consequences. For example, a nursing home resident falls and hits her head, suffering a brain injury. However, the nurse’s aide on staff fails to report the accident because she and her supervisors were never trained on the facility’s policy of reporting accidents within 1 hour. Two days later, the resident suffers major seizures and dies. This example demonstrates how, from the top down, failure to provide adequate training on policies and procedures can have grave consequences.

Most lawsuits against nursing care facilities stem from the facility’s failure to provide protective and supportive health care to its residents.  Too often, these failures result in serious physical injury and contribute to an undignified existence for loved ones placed in the care of nursing care facilities.

Financial Compensation for Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuits

In the event you have a family member or loved one that has been abused in a nursing home in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area, your loved one may be entitled to financial compensation including compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering and lost income, if applicable.

You can trust the nursing home abuse law firm of Namerow Law to protect your loved one’s rights and help return dignity to that individual’s existence.

Call us today to schedule a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case: (215) 985-0777.