In recent years, the United States has experienced dramatic growth in its senior population. As the “Baby Boomer Generation” ages, growing numbers of older Americans are moving into long-term care facilities, where some will live for many years, or even decades.
Unfortunately, as the nursing home population has grown, the number of nursing home abuse cases has also increased. Despite the greater enforcement of state laws and the oversight efforts of governmental agencies, more than one million residents experience nursing home negligence or abuse every year.
Most cases of nursing home negligence are not reported because seniors are often unable to understand the care to which they are entitled. In other cases, they may be physically unable to share information about the abuse. Tragically, as the recent COVID-19 pandemic has shown, seniors at nursing homes constitute the most vulnerable population in the United States. They need and deserve our help!
Whether the abuse consists of recurrent negligence or a single incident which causes injury, the victim has a right to damages. In addition, by filing a lawsuit, seeking accountability, and partnering with a nursing home abuse law firm, residents and their families can help protect other residents from suffering the same fate. In many cases, the nursing home in question can lose its certification for failing to supply the expected care, leading to a loss of federal funding.
That’s where The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP comes in. For over 50 years, our team of experienced attorneys has helped New Jersey state residents collect millions of dollars in compensation for our clients. We succeed by thoroughly understanding the factors which can influence the outcome of these cases. Our qualified NJ nursing home abuse attorneys leverage all necessary resources to ensure that responsible parties are held accountable.
That said, our legal team approaches the attorney-client relationship with compassion for the victims. We know how difficult it can be to cope with nursing home abuse, and that seeking assistance from an attorney in pursuing a nursing home negligence claim can be intimidating or stressful. With our help, you can relieve some of your emotional burdens.
Serious personal injury cases are not just business for us – they’re personal. When we take on a new client, we adopt them as part of our family, and we fight for them in every way possible. That has been our motivating force in capturing hundreds of millions of dollars for clients we have represented during the past 50-plus years. It is also the reason we aspire to be the top personal injury firm in the state of New Jersey.
****Do not let a senior suffer in silence - take action today! Contact us for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer to find out if you should pursue a nursing home abuse lawsuit.
**** Our nursing home abuse attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we do not collect anything from you unless and until we are successful in winning compensation for you.
Serious injury cases are not just business for us – they’re personal. When we take on a new client, we adopt them as part of our family, and we fight for them in every way possible.
That has been our motivating force in capturing hundreds of millions of dollars for clients we have represented during the past 50-plus years. It is also the reason we aspire to be the best personal injury firm in the country.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), nursing home neglect is often defined as the failure of a caregiver to properly provide for an elderly person, which can include the failure to provide proper care, food, supervision, medicine, health care and treatment, clothing, and shelter. Elder neglect includes many different circumstances that may jeopardize an older adult’s health and safety.
Common forms of nursing home abuse include:
Bed sores, also known as pressure ulcers, are one of the most common signs of nursing home neglect. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11% of nursing home residents suffer from bed sores, which are often a direct result of negligent care. Depending on the severity of these pressure ulcers, older adults can experience severe repercussions.
The CDC defines bed sores as “wounds caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin” which typically develop over a person’s “bony prominences,” including elbows, heels, hips, shoulders, back, and in some cases even the back of the head.
Bed sores are among the most serious medical conditions that occur at nursing homes, and their presence in nursing home patients is often an indication that a nursing home is not providing quality care.
Severity of Bed Sores in Nursing Homes
Medical professionals use a staging system for rating the severity of bed sores. Typically, these systems focus on the depth of the damage to soft tissue, which can range from “least severe” to “most severe.” According to the CDC, the stages typically look like this:
The CDC suggests that “Stage 2” pressure ulcers are among the most common in nursing home residents who have been victims of neglect. If you discover that an elderly loved one has developed bed sores, consult a lawyer for legal advice to discuss your options in suing a nursing home for negligence.
Bed sores can cause a number of medical complications, including:
How often are nursing home residents diagnosed with a bed sore? Based on data collected by the CDC, more than 10 percent of nursing home residents have suffered from a bed sore. Of those patients, about half of those diagnosed had Stage 2 bed sores.
Some other significant facts and figures include:
According to a study published by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, up to 27 percent of nursing home residents suffer from medication errors. Some of the most common causes of medication mistakes and medical malpractice are:
Family members should be on the lookout for common signs of elder abuse and neglect at their loved one’s assisted living facility. Common signs of abuse and mistreatment include:
If you have an elderly loved one who was recently diagnosed with bed sores or has shown any of the signs or symptoms of other forms of neglect or abuse, it is important to discuss your legal options with an experienced lawyer.
It is important to act in a timely manner. Statutes of limitations in New Jersey limit the amount of time that an injured individual can file a lawsuit to seek justice and financial compensation for his or her damages.
It is impossible to make generalizations about the value of any nursing home case without knowing the details of the injuries and how the abuse took place. New Jersey law allows recovery for a wide range of situations, many of which may not be readily apparent to the injured party. This includes past medical bills, future medical and rehabilitation costs, therapy, lost past wages, lost future income, punitive damages, pain and suffering, and more. A personal injury attorney with years of experience will fight to obtain money for you and your loved one to compensate your family for all of your damages, past, and future.
Contact our law offices today for real-time assistance from a real person by calling us at 1-800-624-8888 or by submitting a free online case evaluation.
The Rothenberg Law Firm services clients throughout New Jersey, with local offices in Bergen County, Ocean County and Camden County.
"I had an excellent experience with the Rothenberg Law Firm and their staff. The lawyer I worked with was great! He always promptly returned my phone calls, e-mails and texts. He never left me in the dark! His Paralegal was also very helpful. I would gladly recommend this firm."
"The Rothenberg firm did a wonderful job on my case and I was very pleased with the outcome."