Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Charleston, WV

If you are like many West Virginians with aging parents, your mother, father, or both invested some of the best years of their lives into making sure you were healthy, safe, and cared for as you grew older.

Now the question is, “Are they?”

With over 14 million people in the U.S. over the age of 65, and more than 1.3 million who were in nursing care facilities in 2011, when the first Baby Boomers entered this age bracket, elder care – and elder abuse – are becoming ever more significant issues.

According to a 2001 study by the House Government Reform Committee, 30% of nursing homes (5,283 facilities) were cited for nearly 9,000 cases of abuse between 1999 and 2001. When compared to the Health and Human Services Minimum Staffing Ratio, 90% of all nursing homes – including those not cited for direct abuse – had too little staff to provide adequate care. While Charleston is home to some of the finest nursing homes and nursing staff in the state, far too many clients still experience the effects of underfunded or understaffed facilities.

See how nursing homes are rated and how to find the score for your facility here.

We believe that even one case of abuse, neglect, or inadequate care is too many when it comes to your loved ones. If you have a friend or family member who is experiencing any of the following, he or she may be experiencing harm in a nursing home or special care facility:

• Dehydration

• Malnutrition

• Unsanitary, hazardous, or unsafe living conditions

• Bed sores

• Bruises

• Welts

• Wounds in various stages of healing

• Signs of over/under medicating

• Signs of being restrained

• Broken eyeglasses or lack of eyeglasses and other medical aids

• Unexplained venereal disease or genital infection

• Bruises around the breasts or genitals

• Extreme withdrawal

• Sudden and unusual habits, such as rocking, sucking, or biting

• Verbal reports of physical, sexual, or verbal abuse

These are a few of many signs that may signal harm is taking place. Among the various types of harm your loved one may experience are:

Physical Abuse:

Willful actions or inactions that result in physical harm, including imprisonment within the care facility.

Sexual Abuse:

Forceful or coerced sexual contact with a perpetrator. Care facilities may also be guilty of indirect sexual abuse if they allow or enable the conditions that allow the abuse to take place.

Verbal/Emotional/Mental Abuse:

The threat of physical abuse or imprisonment (including forced isolation) that is perceived as real by the elderly adult or others of sound mind. This kind of abuse may also include constant malicious or belittling comments directed to the client.

Neglect:

The failure of the facility to provide what is necessary for the client’s health and well being, including food, water, safe and sanitary living conditions, and proper medications and/or medical aids.

If you have questions about a nursing home abuse or neglect case — or about the care a loved one is or is not receiving at a nursing care facility, call us for a free, confidential consultation. If you feel that you have a case and have questions,  call us today for a confidential and FREE consultation.

You can reach us at (304) 344-5683, email  or by filling out our online form by clicking here.

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