Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Practical steps to take if you believe a family member has been abused by a nursing home

If you have a family member who has been mistreated by a nursing home, the first thing you need to do is get medical attention for him or her. After that has happened - and before you talk to an attorney, Illinois attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld,has some excellent suggestions on his Nursing Homes Abuse Blog that hold true for Missouri residents as well as Illinois residents.

"Photographs - Take pictures of the physical injuries themselves, the area where the incident took place and if possible, the people involved. In cases involving particularly gruesome medical conditions (pressure sores, amputations, surgical wounds) no medical record can do justice to what your loved one experienced. Use a real camera as opposed to a camera-phone as the photos will be better quality.


Start Writing- Write down as much information about the incident or events as you can remember. Write some more. Details can be particularly helpful in the course of litigation as many nursing homes have high rates of employee turnover that can make obtaining information difficult. Concentrate on: names, dates, room numbers, names of facilities and and medication dosages (if relevant

Medical Chart- The medical chart from a nursing home and / or hospital is crucial to determining what a facility may have done or failed to do that resulted in injury or death. If your loved one sustained an injury that resulted in subsequent medical care at a hospital, these records will be important as well.


Chronology- This does not need to be one’s life story. However, if a condition developed over time or there are multiple facilities that may responsible for the injury or condition, it is important get the correct names and general dates of admission at health care facilities. The names of doctors who provided medical can be helpful as well.

Other Relevant documents: Healthcare Power of Attorney, wills, death certificates, pre-injury photographs, autopsy reports and nursing home inspection reports all can be helpful when meeting with an attorney. Bring them with."

Then - take this information to your family lawyer for evaluation.