The Donahey Law Firm

Nursing Home Abuse – Your Personal Injury Lawyer in Ohio

Each Ohio nursing home is tasked with following laws to ensure safe and comprehensive care for its residents, but it is impossible for government officials to closely oversee day-to-day operations of the nearly 1,000 nursing homes in the state. If you believe nursing home abuse or neglect caused the serious injury or death of a loved one, a lawsuit may be the only way for you to ensure justice and prevent the same fate from happening to others.

Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Ohio

At The Donahey Law Firm, we have been fighting for our clients for over 50 years. Our experienced attorneys in Columbus are well-versed in investigating and pursuing nursing home abuse and neglect cases, and have achieved significant recoveries for our clients through both verdicts and settlements. But we know that financial compensation is just one piece of the puzzle. We also prioritize treating our clients with the utmost respect and compassion, just as we would our own family.

If you’re seeking a free consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer, please call The Donahey Law Firm at 866-918-5886 or contact us online. With strategically located offices and a mobile office, we’re equipped to serve clients throughout all of Ohio and northern Kentucky.

If you’re not yet ready to speak with an elder abuse attorney at The Donahey Law Firm, we invite you to explore our free nursing home lawsuit resources below. We’re here to help you understand your legal rights when you’re ready to take the next steps.

Ohio Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect

Ohio's Nursing Home Bill of Rights

Did you know there is an Ohio Nursing Home Patient Bill of Rights? In an effort to improve the treatment of those in nursing homes, Ohio lawmakers created a list of rights for residents.

They range from being free from physical, verbal, mental and emotional abuse, to being able to choose one’s own doctor and pharmacist. You can view all the codified rights online at Ohio Revised Code Section 3721.13.

Nursing home residents should never suffer bedsores, yet they are frighteningly common. Bedsores, also known as pressure sores, are painful and expose victims to potentially deadly infection.

Hydration is crucial for the human body to function. A variety of health problems can result from dehydration, some of them fatal. A nursing home must ensure that all of its residents are properly hydrated, especially those who lack the mental clarity to monitor their own hydration. When a nursing home fails to meet this duty, it is responsible for the resulting harm.

Malnutrition is a concern when a resident is unable to eat without assistance. In this situation, the resident is completely reliant upon the nursing home staff to receive adequate nutrition. If the nursing home staff fails in this duty, the consequences often lead to fatal problems such as organ failure, heart problems, or starvation.

Nursing home malnutrition also occurs when a resident has special dietary needs. Conditions such as diabetes, lactose intolerance and food allergies can prove fatal in elderly residents if the nursing home does not carefully manage them.

If you suspect that a nursing home caused harm to your loved one through malnutrition, an attorney can help you get patient records concerning diet.

Many in nursing homes live with forms of dementia such as Alzheimer’s disease. If a nursing home does not manage security properly, a resident may wander off and suffer harm. Without proper clothing, an elderly person could quickly die from exposure (hypothermia).

Managers at Ohio nursing homes understand that the risk of wandering residents is great – absent precaution – and must ensure that it does not occur. When a nursing home fails to uphold this duty and a resident is injured or dies, the nursing home bears the legal blame.

If a loved one was harmed while wandering off from a nursing home, you need to partner with an attorney to ensure justice.

Sometimes, nursing home residents must be restrained so they do not harm themselves. When restraints are used, staff members need to closely supervise the resident to ensure that serious injuries like lacerations, broken bones, and strangulation do not result. Although there is a time and a place for restraints, a nursing home should not rely on consistently using restraints on a resident. Excessive restraint use may indicate a staffing shortage.

Nursing home residents often take many medications. Prescription drugs can be quite powerful so they must be carefully administered according to the pharmacist’s instructions. Sometimes, nursing home staff members may make costly mistakes with a resident’s medications, risking his or her life. In other scenarios, nursing home staff members may steal patients’ medications to get high or sell the drugs on the black market. In either situation, the resident may suffer serious injury or death.

If you suspect that a loved one has suffered from a nursing home medication error, speak with an experienced attorney immediately. For more on drug errors in the medical field, visit our Medication Errors page.

It is incomprehensible that a nursing home staff member would physically abuse a nursing home patient. Sadly, some disturbed people have no problem preying on society’s most vulnerable. If a loved one has shown signs of physical abuse, speak with an experienced attorney.

We all deserve dignity in our elderly years. If you have evidence that a nursing home staff member verbally abuses your loved one, understand that it violates Ohio’s Nursing Home Bill of Rights and there are legal consequences. Speak with an experienced attorney to discuss your legal opportunities for exacting justice.

Residents may behave aggressively or violently at times, perhaps due to an underlying condition such as dementia. Nursing home staff has a duty to protect residents from other patients who may cause them harm. Serious assault injuries usually occur when there is insufficient supervision of residents, allowing them to initiate and escalate an assault. Patient-on-patient assaults are sometimes of a sexual nature.

Your Ohio Personal Injury Lawyer & Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

At The Donahey Law Firm, we’re committed to standing up for those who can’t defend themselves. We understand the delicate nature of nursing home abuse cases, and are dedicated to providing you with the best possible representation in a professional, cost-effective, and dignified manner. For over 50 years, we have been helping victims and their families.

If you or someone you know has been injured, abused, or neglected in a nursing home, we encourage you to reach out to us for a free initial consultation with one of our experienced Columbus nursing home abuse lawyers. We’re here to help you seek justice and hold those responsible accountable.

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