Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Has your loved one fallen ill or passed away due to his or her nursing home’s failure to plan for and prevent the spread of COVID-19?
DUTY OF CARE
When we place our loved ones in a nursing home, assisted-living facility or other long-term care facility, we do so with the expectation that they will be adequately cared for, protected, and treated with dignity. Unfortunately, for many long-term care residents this is not the case. While abuse and neglect sadly does occur in nursing care facilities every day, the prevalence of it has been brought to light like never before amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 has impacted millions of people across the globe and here in Canada. While it is not always possible to prevent the spread of the virus, you can rightly expect that your loved one’s nursing home take proper precautions to minimize the risk of exposure and transmission amongst its residents.
FAILURES TO LOOK FOR
In order to establish that a nursing home has acted negligently or recklessly in the handling of COVID-19 as it relates to its residents, the plaintiff must show that the defendant facility:
- Failed to follow acceptable practices in preventing and containing COVID-19;
- Failed to adequately plan for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Failed to have enough staff in the facility to safely and competently care for residents;
- Failed to adequately communicate with the families of its residents;
- Failed to follow public health guidelines and directives; and/or:
- Breached their contractual obligations to provide appropriate and adequate care given the circumstances.
Other common forms of abuse and neglect in nursing and long-term care home include:
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Financial abuse
- Theft or fraud
- Caregiver neglect
- Caregiver abandonment
Evidence of other forms of nursing home abuse and neglect, aside from those pertaining to COVID-19, may include things such as:
- Untreated Bedsores
- Bruises and/or other unexplained injuries
- Poor personal hygiene
- Torn clothing
- Behavior from the elder that mimics dementia
- Evidence of overmedication
- Being left dirty and unbathed
- Significant withdrawals from elder’s bank accounts
- Sudden and excessive weight loss
- Sudden inexplicable depression
SEEK JUSTICE NOW
Our healthcare professionals and caregivers share a duty to protect the wellbeing of those placed within their care. When your loved one has experienced nursing home abuse or neglect, you deserve the attention and guidance of a qualified Nursing Home Abuse lawyer.
Cariati Law Can Help
If your loved one has suffered harm from COVID-19, or another form of injury due to negligence within their nursing home, you need the advice and guidance of an experienced Personal Injury lawyer.
The legal professionals at Cariati Law are all too familiar with the harm that can result to elders and their families from nursing home negligence. We will handle your case with respect, empathy and passion in order to get justice for your loved one and obtain the compensation that you deserve.
Contact one of our Toronto Personal Injury Lawyers at 905-629-8040 today for a FREE consultation. If you hire us to represent you, you will pay nothing unless we are successful.
