Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Atlanta Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyers

Honestly, there’s no excuse for abuse in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Most people are wary of trusting any long-term care facility to care for a  beloved parent or grandparent if they cannot provide that care themselves, and for good reason. A quick scan of any official report or search on abuse in nursing homes often reveals incidents ranging from simple neglect to unimaginable horror stories. Should nursing home abuse be so common? Absolutely not.

Thirty years ago, elder care facilities had little accountability with regard to how they treated elderly patients. But when reports of alarming treatment and abuse began to surface in droves, the families of these defenseless victims consulted knowledgeable legal counsel, and fought back in court. Because of their actions, rest homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities are held legally accountable for everything that goes on inside their walls.

Yet even today, deliberate acts of cruelty, abuse, rape, and inexcusable neglect cause unnecessary pain, injuries, and emotional distress to our seniors. No one should be subject to this kind of treatment, especially toward the end of a life so generously lived. That’s why the law firm of Kirschner and Venker, PC stands as an advocate for the victims of nursing home abuse. We work with investigators who ask tough questions, and with doctors who can determine if abuse or mistreatment has happened. If a nursing home has caused harm to a helpless patient, we hold them fully accountable for that behavior.

For example, bedsores (also called decubitus ulcers or pressure sores) are the result of negligence or failure to monitor and properly treat a patient, because they are prevented with proper care. We have handled numerous cases addressing the improper treatment of bedsores, including bedsores so severe they resulted in a death.

In one case, a client's family member remained in bed due to depression and mobility problems. After months of extreme neglect, she died from complications associated with pressure sores. What made this case especially despicable was that monthly bill included an additional $800 charge specifically for care to prevent bedsores. We settled it for $630,000. The settlement did not restore the life lost, but it sent the message to the negligent facility that scenarios like this will not be tolerated.

We have also handled cases in which disoriented patients were allowed to fall from hospital and nursing home windows; each case was resolved favorably in court or by settlement.

Do you suspect your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse? Is the staff ignoring or putting off care for their daily needs, hygiene, or medical problems?  Are you aware of any instance of nursing home abuse or neglect in Georgia?

If so, contact the Atlanta, Georgia, personal injury law firm of Kirschner and Venker, PC. We are prepared to answer your questions and provide an exhaustive investigation into incidents of medical negligence and nursing home abuse. For experienced legal help, please call 770-436-5353 for a free consultation.

The law firm of Kirschner & Venker, P.C. provides legal services to the cities of Atlanta, Macon, Columbus, Augusta, Carrollton, Athens, Albany, Dalton, Gainesville, Decatur, Sandy Springs, Marietta, Lawrenceville, Jonesboro, Conyers, Douglasville, Roswell, College Park, Duluth, Forest Park, Norcross, Vinings, Buckhead, Macon and Smyrna, Warner Robins, and the counties of Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, Clayton, Douglas and Rockdale, Georgia; GA.