Giroux & Associates: Florida Home Lawyer Describes Signs of Pain and Suffering in Nursing Home Abuse Cases
A common sign of nursing home abuse that a Florida nursing home lawyer can identify is when a patient develops frequent pressure sores. This is often a sign that a patient is being neglected or not cared for properly. Here is some information on how to identify possible signs of abuse.
Pressure Sores
Pressure sores, especially when they reach Stage III or Stage IV, cause debilitating pain and agony. They are also very obvious on the surface of the skin and look extremely painful. The upshot of this is that photos of patients who have developed them are very compelling to juries, who tend to award large damage amounts in such cases. Documenting such a convincing sign of neglect and greatly help your nursing home abuse case. However, the difficulty is in proving that the sores were actually caused by neglect by the nursing home staff. One tactic your Florida nursing home lawyer might try is to have a loved one try to observe the conditions of care, or possibly have the patient’s treating physician observe the patient’s condition.
Pain Management
Everybody is aware of pain and everybody is aware that some people need medication or other remedies in order to handle it. Evidence of failure to properly manage pain can be compelling to juries, especially if they are aware that pain medications should be generally available in care facilities. Pain medications should be prescribed by doctors on an as-needed basis and records should be kept by the facility as to how frequently they are administered to which patients. If you are able to establish that the patient did not receive proper medication to remedy their pain and suffering, you may be able to argue for damages. Your Florida nursing home lawyer may try various means of demonstrating this to a jury, such as constructing a time chart showing the frequency and duration that the patient was in debilitating pain.
Malnutrition
Failure to properly care for a patient often results in malnutrition and dehydration. If this is suspected, the patient’s fluid intake and dietary records should be closely scrutinized to determine if the patient is being fed properly.
Our Florida Nursing Home Lawyer Can Help
For more information on these or other possible signs of nursing home abuse and what you can do about it, contact a Florida nursing home lawyer at Giroux & Associates, Inc. Call (727) 895-5399.