Brunswick Nursing Home Negligence Attorney
Understaffing is at the core of many nursing home negligence cases. As many as 90 percent of long-term care facilities are dangerously understaffed. There are simply too many residents and not enough qualified staff members to watch them properly. Additionally, staff morale is often very low at such places. That low morale usually means sloppy work and high turnover rates. Residents are at risk for serious injury in such environments.
In contrast, the resourceful Brunswick nursing home negligence attorneys at Gillette Law never bite off more than they can chew for financial purposes. Instead, we pour all our available resources into your claim for damages. So, we are able to collect solid evidence and leverage this evidence to obtain the best possible results under the circumstances.
What is Nursing Home Negligence?
Before we talk about what negligence is, let’s talk about what it isn’t. First, there is a difference between negligence and abuse. Negligence is an unintentional injury. Abuse, such as physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or other abuse, is an intentional injury. Note that there is a difference between “intentional” and “malicious.” Furthermore, negligence is not a one-off error, simple carelessness, like forgetting to turn the lights on, or failure to produce promise or expected results.
Instead, negligence is basically a lack of ordinary care. Nursing home owners have a duty to keep these premises reasonably safe and watch out for the health of the residents who live there.
Negligent employees are legally responsible for injuries. But the nursing home owner is financially responsible for them, at least in most cases. Third-party liability attaches if the employee was negligent during the scope of employment. Georgia law defines all these key phrases and terms in broad, victim-friendly ways.
Other employer liability theories, which often apply in nursing home abuse cases, include negligent hiring and negligent supervision.
Some Examples
Nursing home negligence victims usually sustain very serious injuries, mostly because these residents almost always have pre-existing conditions. If that wasn’t the case, the victim probably would not live at a nursing home. Some examples include:
- Bedsores: Pressure ulcers normally develop if the person does not turn over in bed at least once every two hours. Many residents are too weak or medicated to turn themselves over. Because of understaffing, many facilities do not send qualified people on regular rounds. That’s especially true during nights, holidays, and other low census periods.
- Resident-on-Resident Assault: This form of nursing home negligence is one of the fastest-growing categories in Georgia. Many residents are so physically frail that a tiny amount of force, like a push or a nudge, could cause a serious injury. Nursing homes should have staffers who break up petty disagreements before they become violent. Many don’t assign such staffers.
- Malnutrition: It’s hard to believe that malnutrition is a problem at Georgia nursing homes. But certain illnesses usually degrade the senses. Food no longer looks, tastes, or smells good. Therefore, these residents simply don’t eat the food they receive. Frequently, no staff members are at the tables to make sure residents eat.
The eggshell skull rule states that nursing homes, or any other negligence party, cannot use a victim’s vulnerabilities, such as pre-existing conditions, to reduce or deny compensation.
Connect with a Dedicated Glynn County Nursing Home Lawyer
All serious injury victims are entitled to fair compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced Brunswick nursing home negligence attorney, contact Gillette Law, P.A. Attorneys can connect victims with doctors, even if they have no money or insurance.
