Abuse and neglect have no place in South Carolina’s long-term care facilities. If you live at an assisted living center and are the victim of harmful or malicious behavior, this stateโs medical malpractice laws may provide you with a way to hold those who harmed you accountable.
Working with a Greenville nursing home abuse lawyer provides you with an excellent opportunity to take a stand against these injustices while also fighting for much-deserved compensation.
Dan Pruitt Injury Law Firm understands the hurt you must be feeling during this time, and we welcome the chance to be able to help you. Our South Carolina medical malpractice attorney has over a decade of experience in this space. He’s helped dozens of victims reclaim their agency and identity after their lives were upturned by abuse.
What Constitutes Nursing Home Abuse in Greenville?
As South Carolinaโs medical malpractice law explains, those who work in the medical field need to follow the proper procedures and accepted guidelines when treating, diagnosing, and interacting with patients. Abuse or neglect may occur whenever doctors, nurses, technicians, and other staff members make a mistake that hurts a resident of a long-term care facility. The following conduct may meet the definition of abusive or neglectful practices:
- Not allowing a patient to visit with family members
- Not regularly helping the patient use the restroom or take a bath
- Unnecessarily using chemical restraints โ like sedatives โ to control a resident’s behavior
- Kicking, hitting, or intentionally tripping a resident
- Sexually or financially abusing or exploiting a patient
Additionally, abuse may occur in a nursing home if the staff members withhold food or water as โpunishment.โ Neglectful practices โ like not rotating patients who are bedridden or not giving patients their prescribed medication โ may also qualify as medical malpractice.
Recognizing the Warning Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Knowing how to identify the signs that something is wrong can help you protect your loved one. Worrying behaviors or signs might include the following:
- An outgoing relative suddenly becomes reserved or fearful
- The facility does not let you talk to your relative or keeps telling you that they do not want to take your call or see you
- Your loved one has suspicious cuts, bruises, or fractures
- An elderly parent or grandparent is missing money or valuable items
Likewise, if your loved one starts avoiding certain places or people, it may be a clue that something is wrong. You know your loved one best. If something seems off, it may be a good idea to talk to your loved one or a trusted attorney to see what is happening.
Steps To Take if You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse in Greenville
If you suspect that those who work at a long-term care facility are abusing your loved one, there are a couple of steps you can take. You can call the police to address urgent safety issues, like active threats against your loved one or ongoing abuse. Contacting a nursing home abuse attorney early on can be beneficial. They can help you identify urgent risks, inform you about your loved one’s rights, and coordinate ways to protect your loved oneโs immediate well-being.
A lawyer can assist you by developing a safety plan to protect your love from further harm. They also have the tools to file a formal complaint with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman or Adult Protective Services. Moreover, they have the skills to file a lawsuit if necessary to protect your loved one and get them the compensation and support they deserve.
How a Greenville Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Can Help You
Partnering with an attorney who regularly advocates for long-term care center abuse victims may be in your best interest.
They can listen to your worries and talk to you and your loved one in a confidential setting that allows you to freely express your concerns. They understand the complex legal procedure involved in filing a formal complaint with government agencies or the court system.
A lawyer can make recommendations and help you explore which option would be best under your circumstances. They can also prepare and file paperwork and talk to third parties on your behalf. Your legal team can also leverage their extensive training to create an effective strategy to help increase your chances of winning your claim.
Legal Rights of Long-Term Care Residents in South Carolina
As South Carolina law explains, every resident at a qualifying long-term care facility is entitled to certain rights. These rights serve to help foster and honor a patient’s autonomy, dignity, and respect. For example, the law protects the residentโs right to make decisions about what happens to their body and allows them to decide whether they stay or are discharged from the facility.
Additionally, those who stay in nursing homes have the ability to control their finances and live in a hygienic room that fosters reasonable privacy. Personnel should follow standard practices of medicine, continue to give residents their prescribed medications, and facilitate access to needed treatments.
Understanding the Many Types of Nursing Home Abuse
Understanding the types of abuse in nursing homes can help you identify when there is a problem and what you can do about it. Abusive practices may include the following:
- Hitting, kicking, or biting a resident
- Sexually assaulting a patient
- Financially exploiting a resident
- Weaponizing medication to control or subdue patients
- Not helping residents go to the bathroom or bathing them when they need to
- Not feeding residents or giving them water
Whenever a staff member violates a resident’s rights, there is potential for abuse or neglect.
Every resident has the right to stay in a place without fear of harm from those who promised to care for them.
What Compensation Is Available for Victims of Nursing Home Abuse in Greenville?
Victims of abuse at an assisted living center may qualify for a range of compensation if they win a lawsuit against those who hurt them. A financial settlement may include restitution for the pain and suffering they experienced and payment of related medical expenses. Victims may also be eligible for reimbursement of funds or property taken from them or damaged.
Contact the Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Dan Pruitt Injury Law Firm for Legal Help
Doctors, nurses, and others in the healthcare profession should work hard to protect people who are vulnerable โ like those who are aging or who have a disability. When they fail to do so and go a step further and abuse those entrusted in their care, they may be liable for their conduct under South Carolina’s medical malpractice laws.
Dan Pruitt Injury Law Firm fights for vulnerable populations in South Carolinaโs communities. Reach out to us today by calling (864) 721-6885 to schedule a consultation with a Greenville nursing home abuse lawyer you can count on.