NJ Nursing Home Injury Lawyers

Nursing home abuse attorneys in Ridgewood serving northern New Jersey

A nursing home has a duty to provide quality care to all of its residents. Failure to do so may be negligence, for which the facility can and should be held accountable. Seigel Law is a premier personal injury firm serving northern New Jersey, mostly in Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. Our team provides compassionate attention to families whose loved ones have been neglected or abused at nursing homes. Most importantly, we achieve results. Our lawyers truly believe in giving the most vulnerable members of our communities the assistance they need to obtain justice.

Let our lawyer-doctor evaluate your nursing home injury

Our professional team devoted to nursing home litigation includes Douglas S. Grossbart, M.D., a physician-attorney focused on medical malpractice and other areas of personal injury. Douglas capably evaluates nursing home cases from both the medical and legal perspective. In a recent report, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General concluded that nursing homes in New Jersey have not consistently reported cases of suspected neglect and abuse. In addition, the OIG found that state inspectors frequently have missed signs that residents were intentionally harmed. When government regulators fail to protect nursing home residents from harm caused by lapses in care — such as debilitating falls and stage-four bedsores — it’s necessary to take legal action.

Common nursing home injuries

Nursing home abuse can be physical, emotional, mental, sexual or financial and can be perpetrated by personnel, other residents or visitors to the facility. Claims may involve:

  • Medical malpractice — Medical negligence in nursing homes may include medication errors, failure to treat bedsores, uncontrolled infections, undiagnosed medical conditions and other inadequate treatment.
  • Dehydration and malnutrition — Poor diet, drug interference and medical conditions can cause malabsorption of nutrients, nausea or vomiting and may lead to severe and potentially life-threatening dehydration and malnutrition.
  • Falls — Nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to falls because of such factors as cognitive impairment, frailty, medical conditions that interfere with mobility and pharmaceuticals that affect balance or coordination.
  • Assaults — Sexual, physical and verbal assault of elderly or disabled residents is unlawful and can lead to criminal charges and civil liability.
  • Bedsores — The elderly, especially those with mobility issues, are at high risk of pressure ulcers known as bedsores. Skin can deteriorate, eventually producing a stage-four bedsore that reaches all the way to the bone. Potentially deadly infections can also result.

Most nursing homes cases require intensive investigation to uncover patterns of negligence or deliberate abuse. This is one reason you need an experienced legal team on your side.

Was the nursing home injury due to abuse or neglect?

Abuse refers to deliberate, intentional acts that result in harm to a patient. The facility is liable for the actions of its staff and for allowing an abusive environment to exist.

Neglect refers to treatment errors or deprivations that result in harm to residents. A generally lax attitude towards service can produce a pattern of substandard care.

Whether your loved one has been subjected to abuse or neglect, he or she deserves protection and full compensation.

What are the rights of nursing home residents in New Jersey?

New Jersey’s Nursing Home Patients’ Bill of Rights guarantees the following entitlements, among others, for residents of nursing homes and long-term healthcare facilities:

  • Full involvement in the facilities’ plan of care
  • Choice of medical care
  • Freedom from abuse and from use of physical or chemical restraints
  • Financial transparency
  • A clean, safe and comfortable physical and personal environment
  • A nutritious, palatable diet
  • Privacy and confidentiality
  • Unrestricted communications with the outside world
  • Reasonable visitation and healthy activities
  • Freedom to refuse to perform services for the nursing home
  • Religious counsel and practice
  • Freedom from unlawful discrimination
  • Freedom to organize and participate in a resident council
  • Rights relating to discharges and transfers
  • Emergency notification of loved ones

The New Jersey Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman investigates allegations of abuse, exploitation and other rights violations.

Why you need a lawyer for nursing home injury

An injured nursing home patient has the right to compensation for their pain and suffering and for any medical expense and other financial losses incurred. An experienced law firm greatly improves your chances of a substantial settlement or jury award. Our legal team fights to ensure all your loved ones’ rights are respected and that just compensation is paid when those rights are violated.

Protect your loved one from further harm

Seigel Law in Ridgewood assists injured nursing home residents throughout northern New Jersey. Call our law firm at 201-444-4000 or contact us online to schedule your free initial consultation with our lawyer-doctor. We are more than happy to visit the nursing home in question.