Do you suspect that a loved one may have suffered mistreatment in a care facility? Reach out to a Lanham nursing home abuse lawyer from GDH Law. We handle nursing home abuse, neglect, exploitation, and elder mistreatment cases throughout Maryland and Washington D.C.
Our fathers, mothers, grandparents, spouses, and aging loved ones deserve the best treatment possible. Finding out that a professional nursing care facility failed in their duty to provide safety, health, and protection is one of the worst things we can ever learn.
The entire team of attorneys at GDH Law personal injury firm prioritizes the rights and dignity of our elder generations. We fight tirelessly for victims and survivors of nursing home abuse.
Elder Abuse and Neglect Attorneys Serving Our Loved Ones in Maryland
If potential abuse or neglect may have been the cause of your family member’s injuries, we want to hear your story.
GDH Law is a small personal injury firm with the resources to provide both personalized attention and major successes for our clients. Let us evaluate your case for free—so you have the knowledge you need to best protect your loved one.
How To Define Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse is the mistreatment of elder and vulnerable adult residents of care facilities.
An abuser may be a nursing staff member, aide, maintenance employee, kitchen worker, visitor or intruder, or even another nursing home resident.
Under the law, every nursing home in Maryland and Washington D.C. has a duty to protect residents from all types of abuse. Elder abuse is typically categorized as one of these four types:
- Physical abuse like hitting, kicking, pinching, forcibly restraining, or depriving of food
- Financial abuse, such as forging checks, stealing valuables, or misusing funds
- Sexual abuse that includes any nonconsensual sexual acts or touching
- Emotional or verbal abuse, causing psychological harm through belittling, insulting, isolating, or other actions that harm a nursing home resident’s emotional well-being
All types of abuse seriously endanger victims’ lives—especially when those individuals are already suffering physical illnesses and impairments that require them to live in a nursing home.
At GDH Law, we know how harmful all abuse is. We use our platform as personal injury lawyers to protect elder abuse victims and give them the means to live in safety, without fear.
What Is Nursing Home Neglect—And How Is It Different From Abuse?
Abuse is a deliberate action, but neglect is a failure to do what is needed.
Neglect is failing to give someone the things they need—nutrition, water, cleanliness, heath care, emotional support, attention, or help.
Neglect might be ignoring someone who is calling for help after they’ve fallen. It may be a failure to give a patient their medications every day. It might be neglecting a bed-ridden resident and letting them develop bed sores. Or looking the other way when a resident is in clear need of medical care.
Neglect often happens in facilities that are understaffed. But there is never, ever an excuse for nursing home neglect or abuse. If a facility takes in residents, it has a legal duty to do its best to keep those residents safe and healthy, no matter what.
What Are the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect?
If someone is being abused in a nursing home, they may not have the ability to report it themselves. That’s one of the reasons it’s estimated that 23 in 24 cases go unreported.
If someone you love lives in a nursing facility in Lanham or another part of Maryland, be aware of the most common signs of nursing home abuse:
- Physical injuries, especially bruises or broken bones
- Worsening physical or emotional condition
- Signs of physical restraint on the wrists or ankles
- Overmedication
- Fear of staff members
- Changes in behavior
- Withdrawal
- Refusal to talk about their life
- Unpaid bills or troubling changes in finances
- Signs of sexual abuse
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or anxiety
If anything feels “off,” don’t ignore it. Take more time to visit your family member and take notes about anything you observe.
Also be aware of the top signs of neglect in a nursing home:
- Weight loss
- Malnutrition
- Dehydration
- Pressure ulcers (bed sores)
- Frequent illness
- Falls
- Infections
- Evidence of elopement (wandering off the property)
- Poor personal hygiene or dirty conditions
How To Report Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect in Maryland
If you suspect nursing home abuse or neglect, the Maryland resources below can help you notify the authorities who can begin an investigation.
Remember, you do not need proof to make a complaint. If have a suspicion, it’s the agency’s job to investigate.
- Maryland Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ)—File a complaint online or call 410-402-8108, or toll free at 877-402-8219.
- Maryland Adult Protective Services (APS)—Contact the Prince George’s County office or the Maryland abuse reporting hotline at 1-800-332-6347.
- Maryland Department of Aging’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP)—Contact a Maryland ombudsman in Prince George’s County at 301-265-8483. Ombudsmen are trained advocates that protect the rights of nursing home residents.
After you have made a report, contact a Lanham nursing home abuse and neglect attorney. Your legal counsel will guide you through the process of holding the facility accountable and relocating your loved one to a safer place.
Contact a Lanham Nursing Home Abuse Attorney To Defend Your Loved One’s Rights
No one should suffer abuse or neglect in a place paid to keep them safe.
Protecting our most vulnerable community members here in Lanham, MD is an important part of our work at GDH Law. At our law firm, your family will be treated with the respect and individualized care you should be given.
Contact us here on our website or by phone. We’ll begin with a free consultation to review your case and recommend your best legal options.
