New Jersey Medical Malpractice Lawyers – NJ Personal Injury Attorneys

Nursing home neglect lawyers report that the Estate of Elizabeth Street is suing Country Cottage Assisted Living after Street died at the age of 93 following an incident that occurred while she was living at the facility. On October 24, the home was having a fire drill. Street was taken outside in a wheelchair during the drill and somehow the chair rolled down a hill into a ditch. According to the suit, the elderly woman was found at the bottom of the hill face down in water. She was taken to the hospital where she died of aspiration pneumonia three days later. The lawsuit is claiming that the nursing home employees were negligent because they placed Street in a hazardous area and failed to protect her.

Nursing homes responsible for well being of residents at all times

Nursing home neglect and abuse can come in many forms. It is the responsibility of the staff at the facility to follow standards of care and maintain highest quality of life for each and every resident. This means not only taking care of their needs medically, but also making sure they are protected from any harm. Nursing home neglect lawyers have seen tragic accidents that could have been easily prevented if the facility was more careful and vigilante. When visiting loved ones, look out for facility issues or any potential dangerous situations. Unfortunately, because of common instances like these, it is important to take vigilance into your own hands when it comes to protection loved ones in long term care facilities.

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one have suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it’s time to contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Nursing home neglect lawyers know that cases of neglect can be just as damaging to the physical and mental health of the elderly as cases of abuse. Neglect is indeed a form of abuse, a crime of omission; failing to provide proper and necessary care is as serious as physical or emotional abuse.

It is important to keep an eye on your elderly loved ones and look out for the indicators of neglect and report it right away. According to the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, it is important to remember that some of the signs indicate a lifestyle and should be viewed as a whole and prompt you to look for patterns that suggest a problem.

Physical Signs

Physically, you will notice the elder’s health starting to decline, especially in skin rashes, bedsores, infections, or unattended fractures. Dehydration, lack of energy and mental confusion are also signs if abnormal for the senior. Other physical signs are poor hygiene soiled clothes, lice, odors, or presence of urine or feces. If things seem out of place it may be an indicator of neglect, for example, the senior not being properly dressed for the weather or the absence of dentures, glasses, hearing aids, wheelchairs or walkers.

Environmental Signs

Environmental signs are often the most obvious indicators of neglect because the physical signs can often be explained by other causes. If the senior’s living conditions are inadequate, look for the other signs that may indicate neglect. These conditions include lack of basic necessities such as food, water and heat, insect or animal infestation, outdated or empty prescriptions, or a general lack of cleanliness.

Behavioral Signs

If the caregiver is actively neglecting the elder, you will often observe the caregiver becoming increasingly angry, frustrated and critical of outside help. They will also lack the skills and knowledge to care for an elderly or disabled adult.

You will start to notice the behavior of the victim to change as well. Depression, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, confusion and disorientation resulting from malnutrition, becoming emotionally withdrawn and fear towards the caregiver are often seen in victims of neglect.

New Jersey and Philadelphia Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers

If you or your loved one has suffered abuse or negligence you should contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured by negligence in nursing homes. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present to answer your questions.

Nursing home neglect lawyers convinced an Arkansas court to award the estate of Martha Bull $5.2 million in damages for pain, suffering and mental anguish. Bull died at the Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on April 7, 2008 at the age of 76 after the home was negligent in her treatment by failing to act on a doctor’s orders to transfer her to a hospital.

Woman Dies after Cries of Pain are Ignored

Bull was admitted to the facility on March 28, 2008 for 30 days of rehabilitation after suffering a stroke. On the night of April 6, she began suffering from severe abdominal pain, sweating, and inability to make a bowel movement. Nothing was done for her until the next shift when she was still complaining and a doctor was called that following afternoon. The doctor ordered that Bull be transferred to the emergency room because of her history. A fax was sent to a fax machine in a closet of the wing of the building where Bull lived. No one saw the fax and Bull was never taken to the hospital, even though she screamed throughout the afternoon so loudly that other residents complained. Martha Bull was found dead later that night, the fax not discovered until the next day. No autopsy was performed and the facility does not know the official cause of death.

Greenbrier Nursing and Rehabilitation Center fought this case for the four years it was in litigation and didn’t admit guilt in making mistakes in Bull’s treatment until after the trial had already begun. 

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it is time to contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

The nursing home abuse lawyers at Messa & Associates recently reported on Sammie Berry, an 88-year-old wheelchair bound woman with Alzheimer’s, who was injured in an incident at the Kaufman Healthcare Center nursing home where she suffered a huge gash on her forehead and severe bruising to her face. The facility misled the family regarding the severity of the injuries and the elderly woman remained in a coma at a local hospital. Investigators have since arrested James Seaton, a certified nurse at the nursing home, on charges of felony aggravated assault-injury to an elderly person.

Man Arrested for Assaulting Elderly Woman

According to investigators, when arrested Seaton lied about the accident and tried to blame someone else for Berry’s injuries. He now denies the accusation, “I wasn’t trying to blame them. I was hurt, and too afraid to come forward,” he said. His side of the story is now that he was trying to get the elderly woman dressed while she was in bed, “I was turning her and my back kind of went out and I lost control of her, that’s when she bumped her head on the oxygen tank, which was close to the bed.” He then claimed that he told a nurse of the incident and she told him that she would call 911, but the victim’s family said the hospice nurse called 911 over an hour later.

“I think it’s pretty sad,” said relative Louise Berry. “I truly hope that he’s ashamed of himself.” When asked if he had anything to say to Berry’s family he said “Tell them it was an accident. I’m very sorry because I wouldn’t have intentionally done anything to happen to them. I pray Mrs. Berry will be better.”

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one have suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it’s time to contact nursing home abuse lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

It is important to have a good relationship with the staff and nurses of the facility where your loved one is living. Nursing home abuse lawyers too often see families being misled by the facility staff regarding the injuries suffered at a nursing home. We encourage you to visit often and ask as many questions as possible, especially if an injury has occurred.

Facility Misleads Family Regarding Severity of Injuries

Police are currently investigating an incident at the Kaufman Healthcare Center nursing home where Sammie Berry, 88 years old, got a huge gash on her forehead that turned most of her face black and blue. Berry was discovered by her hospice nurse who called 911. The wheelchair bound woman, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, was rushed to the hospital where she now is in a coma. A relative Louise Berry spoke with the doctor, saying “The description he gave me was that it was like somebody being dropped from six feet or someone taking a hoe and hitting her in the forehead with it with blunt force.” It appears that the facility was not honest with the family. Jessica Berry said, “They said it was a little cut. It wasn’t a cut.” They were later told by the administrator that a door may have hit Sammie in the face. The investigation is still ongoing.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it is time to contact nursing home abuse lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Nurses and staff of long term care facilities have to monitor the residents very carefully. It is their job to make sure they remain safe and to do their best to keep them healthy as long as they can. Unfortunately nursing home neglect lawyers see many cases where the staff fails to monitor the residents closely enough and horrible accidents occur.

Man Caught on Fire While Smoking

An elderly male resident of University Park Nursing and Rehabilitation caught fire while he was smoking a cigarette outside of the nursing home facility. The man, who was in his early 70s, suffered several burns to his body during the incident. According to the Fire Marshal David Collins, his wheelchair had burn marks on the armrest. There will be an investigation into how the accident occurred. They would not release the man’s condition but he was taken to the hospital.

Every facility has different rules for each level of patients. Depending on age, health, or disease each patient qualifies for a different level of care and monitoring. Even if this man did not require constant supervision, he should not have been left alone while smoking. Besides the obvious health risks of smoking, especially once you get older, it is unsafe and negligent for the facility to allow their residents to be alone while holding something that could cause them to catch on fire.

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one have suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it’s time to contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

As nursing home neglect lawyers we try to report on all forms of abuse and neglect. Facilities need to monitor high-risk patients very carefully to make sure they are kept safely in the home and do not get into dangerous situations. An elderly man is missing from the Bishop Charles Waldo Maclean Episcopal Nursing facility in Queens, NY. On May 26, 74 year old Alan Frazer, who suffers from high blood pressure and dementia, went missing from the facility. The former director of the home, Juliet Clifford, allegedly failed to call 911 to report the missing man. She then falsified records to cover up that he was missing and told investigators that he left against the home’s advice.

Former Director Falsifies Records

The day after he went missing Clifford removed notes from his medical charts and ordered staff members to edit the records to say he left against medical advice and told them not to call the police. Luckily staff members at the home did report Frazer missing on May 30th.

Clifford was arrested on one count of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person in the first degree, one count of falsifying business records in the first degree, two counts of falsifying business records in the second degree and one count of willful violation of the health laws. If found guilty of these charges, Clifford could serve up to four years in prison.

Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one have suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it’s time to contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

Students from the Elder Justice & Policy program at the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota have developed a mobile app designed to help provide support to the first responders and law enforcement to identify and address potential abuse. The app contains tools on how to recognize signs of abuse, approaches and strategies to interviewing victims of elder abuse and information on the laws that protect vulnerable adults. As elder abuse lawyers it is exciting to see law students taking the initiative to further the resources in the fight against elder abuse.

Students Research How Technology Can Help the Elderly

The students created the app after getting involved in the school’s keystone program that places students with different organizations that work towards fighting elder abuse. They then research the use of technology related to elder law. One of the goals of the program is to have the students learn about the different ways technology, websites and e-newsletters, can be used and maintained to advocate for the elderly and vulnerable adults.

Desiree Toldt was placed with the Anoka County Attorney’s Office where she became involved with the MN S.A.F.E. Elders initiative and began working on the app. Along with attorneys at the office and fellow student Christopher Ziolkowski, who wrote the coding for the app and created the structure for continuous updates, they continued to work on the project. The S.A.F.E. MN app is available to the public for free download on June 14th.

Elder Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it is time to contact elder abuse lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

There is a difference between nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect. According to the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, neglect is the failure of caregivers to fulfill their responsibilities to provide needed care. Nursing home neglect lawyers know that cases of neglect may often seem less damaging than cases of abuse, but not receiving the necessary care can cause severe detriment to the health of anyone, especially an elderly person.

These cases should not be tolerated and need to be reported. Our society’s  elderly citizens should be treated with respect and if, as caretakers, we become unfit to maintain the lives of our elderly family members, it is our responsibility to find them caretaker or nursing home that can.

Different Types of Elder Neglect

Active Neglect: Caretakers who deliberately withhold care from the elder. For example, not giving them essentials like food or water, not bathing them properly or often, or withholding medication. This is often motivated by the caretaker having something to gain or conflict with the elder.

Passive Neglect: When caretakers are not able to fulfill their responsibilities to care for the elderly. This can be caused by disability, illness, age, stress, or lack of resources. They may not be fully aware of the amount of care the senior needs or are in some way unable to give it to them.

Self Neglect: When the elderly are not caring for themselves and refusing care from others, allowing their health to deteriorate.

New Jersey and Philadelphia Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers

If you or your loved one has suffered abuse, negligence, and inadequacy you should contact nursing home neglect lawyers. The team at Messa & Associates is dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.

When you have a loved one in a nursing home you are relinquishing control to the facility staff. As nursing home abuse lawyers, our biggest piece of advice is that you communicate your loved one’s wishes to the staff as often as possible. Deciding to sign a DNR (do not resuscitate) is a very personal decision, and obviously something that requires much consideration.

Nursing Home Did Not Try to Revive Elderly Woman

Casa Mora Rehabilitation and Extended Care has been fined and placed on conditional licensure status after it was found that staff committed a series of errors involving the death of a resident in December. According to Shelisha Coleman, the spokeswoman for Agency for Health Care Administration “Basically, a conditional status indicates that a facility did not meet, or correct upon follow-up, minimum standards at the time of an inspection.” The conditional status was lifted shortly after and “Their license is still in good standing” she said.

On December 4, a certified nursing assistant found a 58-year-old woman apparently not breathing with one leg hanging off the bed. The resident was suffering from cancer and depression and had just returned from a hospital visit. Staff “observed the resident with no vitals, not breathing.” No staff members initiated CPR or tried to revive the woman. According to her file she was “Full Code,” meaning that all necessary measures should be taken to resuscitate her should the need arise.  At Casa Mora, DNR patients wear a yellow wrist bracelet, but the woman was not wearing a bracelet. One of the nurses provided a statement saying she thought the woman was a “DNR” and “sometimes the facility staff take several days to put them on.”

When investigators examined the body they found “no signs of abuse, neglect or foul play.” When initially asked why no one performed CPR, one staff member said a Physician’s Order Sheet indicated the woman was a DNR. When the order was later examined, it indicated the woman was “Full Resuscitate.” Two staff members were fired and other staff was retrained.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia

If you or your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, negligence, and inadequacy it is time to contact nursing home abuse lawyers. The nursing home abuse lawyers at Messa & Associates are dedicated to earning justice and compensation for those injured or worse by negligence and abuse in nursing homes and long term care facilities. Call, toll-free, 1-800-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry. If you would like immediate assistance, click the CHAT LIVE icon to the right. A representative is present right now to answer your questions.