Baltimore, Maryland Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer

Using Legal Action to Protect Elders from Abuse

When elderly adults are no longer able to care for themselves or when their families are no longer able to care for them, nursing homes claim to offer specialized services and competent personnel that can provide care for elderly adults. Sadly, the reality is that some nursing homes inflict horrible injuries on elderly adults due to abuse or neglect. Worse yet, nursing home victims face an uphill battle against insurance companies that deny their claims and spend vast amounts of money defending lawsuits just because they can.

If you suspect that a loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, representation by a Baltimore, Maryland nursing home negligence attorney can help set things right. The attorneys at Portner & Shure, P.A. have been battling nursing homes and insurance companies for more than 30 years to obtain justice and financial compensation for victims of home negligence and abuse. Let us fight for you. Currently, we are accepting cases involving coronavirus/COVID-19.

Please call us at (410) 995-1515 or contact us online.

Signs of Nursing Home Negligence & Abuse

Family members are often the first individuals to notice that elders are the victims of neglect or abuse. This is because elders are often unable or willing to alert their family members.

Accordingly, family members should be vigilant for signs of abuse or neglect, such as:

• Bedsores
• Changes in weight
• Behavioral changes (e.g., depression, anxiety, etc.)
• Constantly being kept in an overmedicated state
• Family members discouraged from visiting
• Unexplained injuries or bruises

What is Nursing Home Abuse?

Nursing home abuse involves intentional acts by nursing home staff members, residents, and sometimes visitors. According to federal law, nursing home abuse is the “willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish."

Common types of nursing home abuse include:

• Physical assault
• Sexual assault
• Imprisonment
• Mental and emotional abuse
• Deprivation of food, water, and medicine

The reason staff members can abuse elderly adults is often because nursing homes negligently hire individuals who are unfit or who have criminal backgrounds.

What is Nursing Home Neglect?

Nursing home neglect often involves negligence or indifference by nursing home staff members. According to federal law, nursing home neglect is the “failure to provide goods and services necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish or mental illness."

Common types of nursing home neglect include:

• Failing to prevent bedsores
• Failing to prevent infections
• Failing to inform medical providers of medical issues
• Failing to prevent injuries and accidents such as falls
• Failing to prevent dehydration or malnutrition

As with nursing home abuse, nursing home neglect occurs because nursing homes hire unqualified individuals. Another reason nursing home neglect occurs is that nursing homes fail to hire sufficient numbers of staff members.

Nursing Home Negligence & Coronavirus/COVID-19

The coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has brought fresh attention to the substandard conditions of many nursing homes in Maryland. While nursing homes must have rules and procedures outlining the standard of care for their residents and to prevent neglect, staff members often ignore these rules and procedures. While the coronavirus has killed scores of Marylanders, nearly half of these deaths have happened in nursing home settings and assisted living centers. The severity of this negligence has resulted in the State of Maryland launching investigations and issuing citations to nursing homes.

Injuries & Damages in Nursing Home Cases

Under Maryland law, nursing home abuse and neglect victims can claim economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are meant to compensate a nursing home abuse victim for medical bills resulting from their injuries and for the cost of future medical care. Noneconomic damages are meant to compensate a nursing home abuse victim for the pain and suffering they endured.

Litigation for High-Stakes Cases

Nursing home abuse and neglect cases are complex matters to litigate. To win, a victim must prove that the nursing home failed to provide a reasonable level of care. The victim must prove this claim by a preponderance of the evidence, i.e., 51%.

Insurance companies make it difficult to meet this burden as they retain aggressive defense attorneys to defend nursing home lawsuits. Accordingly, nursing home victims should get representation by an equally aggressive Baltimore, Maryland nursing home neglect and abuse lawyer to obtain the compensation they deserve.

Why Hire Portner & Shure, P.A.?

Nursing home cases are factually complex and legally difficult matters to litigate. Insurance companies aggressively defend against nursing home lawsuits. If one of your elderly family members was the victim of nursing home neglect or abuse, seek equally powerful legal representation by a Baltimore, Maryland nursing home negligence lawyer. The attorneys at Portner & Shure, P.A. have built a reputation for litigating tough cases. Insurance companies know who we are and the results we obtain. Portner & Shure, P.A. receives no fee unless our client obtains a settlement or judgment in court.

We are currently screening and accepting Baltimore nursing home coronavirus/covid 19 cases. Our multilingual English, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Vietnamese, and Hispanic staff allows us to serve all of Maryland’s communities. To schedule a free consultation regarding your Baltimore City nursing home abuse or neglect case, call us at (410) 995-1515 or contact us online.