Miami Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Many people place their loved ones in nursing homes to ensure they receive the care they need and deserve. This is why it is devastating when families find out their relatives suffered harm while living at a facility they trusted to protect them. If your family has experienced an unfortunate situation in which your loved one suffered mistreatment, we want to help you. We will listen to every detail about what happened and tailor our approach toward pursuing the compensation you and your family need.

Freidin Brown, P.A.’s Miami nursing home abuse lawyers effectively advocate for elder abuse victims and their families. We will hold negligent senior care centers and assisted living facilities (ALF) accountable for misconduct that hurts individuals in their care. If you suspect your loved one experienced mistreatment at a facility, we can help you protect your loved one and yourself. Our personal injury lawyers will seek the appropriate next steps in your situation.

Freidin Brown, P.A.’s Miami Nursing Home Lawyers Are Ready to Fight for Your Family

Miami-area families have trusted Freidin Brown, P.A. with their cases for over 45 years. We invest time, money, and energy into helping clients recover insurance settlements or court-ordered awards that compensate them for their injuries and losses. Nursing home abuse affects everyone and has no place in our society.

We have seen firsthand how abuse hurts victims and their families, so we are committed to doing our part to protect Miami’s vulnerable citizens.

We Handle the Full Range of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Claims

If you, your parent, or an elderly loved one has experienced bed sores, fractures, fall injuries, malnutrition, dehydration, physical or sexual abuse, or neglect in a nursing home facility in the Miami area, we invite you to contact us now for a free case review so you can learn more about how our nursing home injury lawyer could help you. We will make sure you understand your legal rights and legal options.

Our law firm handles the full spectrum of nursing home abuse and neglect cases in Miami, including:

• Bed sores
• Doctor negligence
• Fractures
• Premises liability
• Sepsis and septic shock
• Sexual abuse

Our Boutique Law Firm Will Tailor Our Services to Your Needs

At Freidin Brown, P.A., we handle a select few cases at any one time. This way, we can devote our resources to help you pursue the maximum compensation for the losses your family endured. Our limited case list allows us to give our full personal attention to you. Each of your inquiries is treated with care, and we return every phone call promptly.

Our firm has won major awards and settlements for nursing home negligence victims throughout Miami and South Florida over the past several years, including the following:

• $2.5 million settlement for a client who developed bedsores as a result of elder abuse
• $930,000 for the family of a victim of nursing home neglect at the Franco Nursing Home.
• $725,000 for a paraplegic man who developed severe bed sores at a nursing home.
• $465,000 for a nursing home resident who developed a pressure ulcer while in a coma
• $337,000 for an assisted living facility resident who suffered a subdural hematoma after a fall

These case results showcase our dedication to protecting and advocating for the elderly members of our community.

If you sign on with Freidin Brown, P.A., you become our family, so we only want the best for you. We will fight for what you deserve from the first consultation to when your case is resolved.

We Commit 100% to Your Recovery and Will Take Your Lawsuit to Trial

We mean it when we say we will go to court to fight for your recovery. Freidin Brown, P.A. has two Board Certified Civil Trial Attorneys on staff who have tried 300-plus cases before a jury. We will use this experience to take on the liable party’s insurance companies for you.

Miami Nursing Home Bed Sores Lawyer

There are four stages of bedsores. For all stages the first step in treatment is to simply move the patient’s position so that blood flow returns to that area.

• Stage One – As less blood gets to the area it may show slight discoloration. The skin will likely be a slightly different temperature than the surrounding areas and could be painful or itchy. With good nutrition, more movement, and plenty of water the bedsore should only take a few days to resolve.
• Stage Two – By stage two the skin has either begun to pus, creating a blister, or there is an open wound. The area will be swollen, red, possibly oozing, and painful. Along with all of the steps for stage one, the wound should be washing, bandaged, and monitored for any infection.
• Stage Three – By stage three, the damage has gone all the way into the fat tissue. The skin may be dying, causing it to turn black, and there may be an odor. This requires a doctor’s attention.
• Stage Four – As you can imagine, stage four bed sores are severe and will require immediate medical attention if not surgery. The damage can take years to treat and reverse.

How to Prevent Bed Sores

WedMd.com recommends moving every two hours if a person is lying down and every 15 minutes if they are sitting. It is common for nursing home residents to require hospital visits if their health declines. Harvard Health reported on studies showing that 35 percent of nursing home patients already had pre-existed bedsores when they were admitted as a resident, and many of those cases were residents who were being transferred from hospital care. This means that any nursing facility residents should be examined for bed sores upon their arrival. If they are wheelchair-bound or bed-ridden, there needs to be a schedule of care that helps them move around and adjust pressure points to avoid bed sores. It is even more critical to check regularly for bedsores when an elderly patient is unable to communicate about pain.

You Don’t Pay Our Miami Nursing Home Injury Attorney Unless We Win Your Case

Our attorneys work on all personal injury cases as a team. Although one lawyer is ultimately responsible for your case, at least two other lawyers will oversee the planning or strategy sessions as we develop your case. Our team regularly consults with nursing and medical professionals who can assist us with evaluating and preparing your case.

We believe everyone should be able to access professional legal representation when they need it, so we make it affordable to hire our Miami nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay no upfront costs or fees for our legal services unless we make a recovery for you. You can learn more about how we can help during a free consultation today.

What Others Say About Working With Freidin Brown, P.A.

Clients come first at our law firm, and we will always protect their rights and interests. Here’s what a few have to say about working with us:

We appreciate everything you did for us. Staying with us. Being patient with us. And, most importantly believing in us. Our family will forever have a feeling of gratitude for all that you have done. – Amy D.

I have tremendous respect and appreciation for Phil Freidin. He is a powerful and kind lawyer. He has proven to me that he genuinely cares about his clients; however, he is a force to be reckoned with in the conference and court rooms. – Barbara P.

Our family would like to extend a very gracious thank to this awesome firm Freidin Brown PA. They worked exceptionally hard to ensure we received the best possible outcome and most of all we were always kept abreast and treated with dignity and respect throughout this tedious experience. Thanks Freidin and Brown for an outstanding service. – T.A.

File Your Miami Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit as Soon as Possible

There’s no need to wait to explore your legal options if your relative suffered harm in any way in a Miami-area nursing home. Once we talk with you about the situation, we can determine if you can proceed with a case against the senior care facility where you suspect your loved one was abused.

Florida’s statute of limitations generally allows injured parties two years to pursue damages. For nursing home abuse and negligence, you have two years to pursue a case from the time you knew or should have known of the abuse or neglect, according to Florida Statutes § 400.0236. If you are filing a wrongful death action, you also have two years, per Florida Statutes § 95.11(4)(d). We encourage you to start your case as soon as you can.

Recoverable Damages in a Miami Nursing Home Abuse Case

You and your family can hold negligent nursing homes liable for your damages. As such, Florida allows plaintiffs in civil nursing home injury claims to seek compensation for monetary damages and intangible losses. While long-term care facilities and their insurance companies never make the claims process easy on families, our Miami, FL, nursing home injury lawyers are standing by, ready to fight for your rights. We can help you seek financial compensation for:

• Emergency medical treatment
• Other medical bills and related expenses (e.g., hospital stays, surgeries, lab tests, imaging tests)
• Costs to relocate a resident to another facility or living arrangement
• Property damage or theft (e.g., stolen money or assets, jewelry, eyeglasses, clothing, etc.)
• Pain and suffering (physical, mental, and emotional)
• Permanent scarring or impairment
• Wrongful death

Wrongful Death in Miami Nursing Home Abuse Cases

If you have recently lost a family member who was living in a nursing home and you suspect they suffered mistreatment, it is time to consider a wrongful death lawsuit. Our team will guide you through this difficult time. We will take care of your entire case and pursue legal action against the facility that harmed your loved one. Recoverable damages in this kind of case can help families cover:

• Their relative’s medical expenses
• Funeral, cremation, or burial costs
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of the decedent’s income, companionship, instruction, or guidance

Florida law governs wrongful death lawsuits, and we can explain how those work and if your family is eligible to pursue one. Our wrongful death attorney can answer questions and guide you through this process.

Our Miami Nursing Home Lawyers Will Get to the Bottom of What Happened to Your Loved One

When we investigate your case, we will ask questions to determine what happened and who is responsible for it. This process includes:

• Visiting the nursing home or senior care facility to collect evidence that supports your case (e.g., your loved one’s medical records, facility safety records, accident reports, employment histories of nursing home staff, etc.)
• Taking photos and video footage, including from facility surveillance cameras (if available)
• Identifying all potentially liable parties responsible for the abuse (e.g., doctors, nurses, facility, visiting medical staff, maintenance workers, medical equipment providers or manufacturers, facility visitors)
• Interviewing and documenting witnesses’ accounts about what happened
• Consulting experts to get their professional opinion about the nursing home’s performance, the standard of care, etc.
• Obtaining your loved one’s medical records
• Getting a copy of the facility’s safety records and accident reports

We will also handle all negotiations with the facility’s insurance company or legal representatives. All your case’s paperwork, filing deadlines, and other case-related tasks will be our responsibility. You can focus on caring for your loved one and getting them to a place of safety while we pursue damages. We will also update you on your case regularly and ensure you understand all laws and other case-related matters.

What Constitutes Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect in a Miami Facility?

Ideally, the nursing home staff should update you about your loved one’s health status and when it must change their care. However, since the facility’s staff likely isn’t going to call you about staff abuse or neglect, you must keep your eyes open for any medical changes that might be caused by poor treatment.

Examples of abuse and neglect include:

• Rough handling that may cause bruising, serious injuries
• Yelling at someone out of anger
• Slapping, punching, hitting, or kicking
• Abusive or derogatory comments about patients
• Threats toward patients (including threats to withhold essential care from them)
• Bedsores (a patient must be moved every two hours to prevent them)
• Weight loss from neglect or stress caused by abuse
• UTIs leading to sepsis
• Medication errors
• Sexual abuse
• Financial exploitation

Fractures, bruising, and depression are all outcomes of nursing home abuse, while neglect might be detected by noticing sheets have not been changed, your loved one has not received medication on time, or other details of staff duties left undone.

According to Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America, the risk of abuse goes up for elderly living in long-term care facilities if they depend more on staff for care and protection. For instance, a person with dementia or confined to a bed is more at risk of neglect or abuse than someone who is more independent.

Another group of long-term care residents who might be more at risk are those with behavioral symptoms, as they can agitate the staff more easily, and staff may react improperly. This can lead to verbal and physical abuse.

Nursing Home Negligence Is a Serious Problem: Common Nursing Home Violations

According to data in a study published in the Medicine journal, the population over the age of 65 will double from 394,328 in 2015 to 674,264 in Miami-Dade County by 2040. As adults continue to age in the area, more will require long-term care such as that provided in nursing home facilities. With the increase in elderly patients at nursing home facilities, there is an increased risk of understaffing or hiring the wrong caretakers to cover shifts, which can lead to neglect or abuse in the nursing home.

Nursing Homes Cited for Violations

In 2008, federal investigators reported that more than 90 percent of nursing homes in the United States had been cited for violations of federal health and safety standards in the previous year, according to a New York Times article. This shocking report also claims that around 17 percent of all nursing homes had deficiencies that were serious enough to cause “actual harm or immediate jeopardy” to their patients.

More recent studies have found that somewhere between 10 and 15 percent of nursing home patients report that they have endured some form of abuse or neglect within the past twelve months. Some of the most common nursing home violations that constitute nursing home abuse/neglect include:

• Infected bedsores
• Medication mix-ups
• Poor nutrition
• Neglect of patients

About two-thirds of nursing homes in the United States are owned by for-profit companies, while 27 percent are owned by nonprofit organizations and 6 percent by government entities, the report said. The inspector general said 94 percent of for-profit nursing homes were cited for deficiencies last year, compared with 88 percent of nonprofit homes and 91 percent of government homes.

Unfortunately, far too many vulnerable nursing home residents live in unsafe or unhealthy conditions. Inspectors received 37,150 complaints about conditions in nursing homes and substantiated 39 percent of them, the report said. About one-fifth of the complaints verified by federal and state authorities involved the abuse or neglect of patients.

How to Report Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect in Miami

The first step is always to get your loved one the immediate care they need. If you feel your vulnerable family member is in a dangerous situation, getting them to safety requires action. To file an official nursing home abuse or neglect complaint, you should report the matter to state authorities. In our state, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA) is the agency that handles these claims.

You can call the ACHA at 1-888-419-3456 or use their online submission form to report suspected nursing home abuse or neglect. If you have any questions about filing a complaint against the responsible facility, please reach out to our Miami, FL. attorneys for help.

Call Freidin Brown, P.A. Today – Our Miami Nursing Home Attorneys Are Ready Today for a Free Consultation

At Freidin Brown, P.A., our Miami nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys have the skills, knowledge, and decades of experience that you can trust. We will hold negligent senior care facilities accountable so you and your family can get justice.

If you or your family member suffered harm due to nursing home abuse or neglect, we are more than ready to get started on the case. Get in touch with us today for a free, confidential consultation.