Pittsburgh Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Providing Support for Victims of Nursing Home Neglect in Pittsburgh

At Ronald J. Bua & Associates, our Pittsburgh nursing home abuse attorneys have the experience it takes to fight for you or your loved one. Nursing homes are responsible for the care and well-being of our elderly loved ones, and they have a duty to protect their patients. If a nursing home doesn’t honor their duty, you may have grounds for a lawsuit against them. The Pittsburgh nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Ronald J. Bua & Associates have over 50 years of experience helping injury victims throughout Western Pennsylvania and we can help you with your loved one’s claim.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is a very real concern for many Americans. Nursing home neglect and abuse is any abusive action taken against an elderly individual in a nursing home, such as:

  • Physical abuse. Hitting, slapping, striking, shaking, or otherwise physically hurting a patient.
  • Sexual abuse. This includes any unwanted or non-consensual sexual contact or harassment.
  • Emotional abuse. This can include manipulation, isolation, toying with patients with cognitive impairments, and other distressing behaviors.
  • Neglect. This can include anything that degrades the victim’s quality of life, such as failing to regularly reposition bedridden patients, administer medications properly, clean patients and change their clothes in a timely manner, or failing to provide basic life requirements such as food and clean drinking water.
  • Financial abuse. This is an unfortunately common form of elder abuse. It manifests in caregivers taking advantage of the elderly people in their care. The caregivers may write checks to themselves in the victim’s name, use the victim’s identity to obtain credit cards or loans, or otherwise steal the victim’s financial assets.
  • Abandonment. This entails leaving an elderly patient alone and unassisted.

Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Elder abuse takes many forms, and it’s very important for the loved ones of elderly nursing home patients to recognize the signs of abuse. If you suspect that your elderly relative is being abused at his or her nursing home, pay attention to the signs which can include:

  • Personality changes, such as mood swings and depression.
  • Refusal to speak about their time at the nursing home or the staff.
  • Displaying nervousness or dislike around certain staff members.
  • Listlessness or general disinterest in surroundings.
  • Unexplained bruises, cuts, scrapes, or other wounds.
  • Hair loss.
  • Weight loss.
  • Signs of neglect, such as dirty bed linens, dirty clothes and poor hygiene.
  • Unusual behavior of staff or other residents during visits.
  • Sudden disappearance of personal items.
  • Unusual financial activity. Most relatives of elderly individuals in nursing homes have some sort of access to their loved one’s financial records and need to be vigilant for strange activity that could point to financial abuse.

If you notice these signs or otherwise suspect your loved one is suffering elder abuse, you need to contact a reliable Pittsburgh nursing home neglect lawyer to pursue a claim against the responsible parties. A trademark characteristic of abuse is that victims usually are reluctant to seek help or talk about their experiences out of fear of the abuser. It’s vital to speak with an elder abuse attorney with the experience and skill to handle these difficult and often complex cases.

Main Indicators of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

If you have a loved on in a nursing home, be on the look out for the following indicators of nursing home abuse and neglect:

  • Malnutrition
  • Dehydration
  • Pressure sores
  • Bed sores
  • Lack of personal cleanliness
  • Unsanitary and unclean conditions
  • Begging for food
  • Need for medical or dental care
  • Lice
  • Open wounds
  • Rashes
  • Inadequate staff supervision
  • Wandering and elopement
  • Reports of neglect

Hiring a Pittsburgh Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney

When you decide that it’s time to pursue a lawsuit against an elder abuser, it’s vital to have reliable legal representation. Your Pittsburgh nursing home abuse attorney will need to gather necessary evidence, consult with experts in relevant fields, and obtain eyewitness statements from other staff or patients at the nursing home. All of these pieces of evidence will be crucial for obtaining compensation.

Ronald J. Bua & Associates has represented clients in the Pittsburgh-area for more than 30 years in all types of personal injury cases. Our team maintains a small caseload to ensure we can provide every client with the time and resources necessary to secure just compensation. When nursing home staff neglect the needs of their clients, take advantage of them, or otherwise abuse them, we need to hold them accountable for their actions.

Contact the nursing home abuse lawyers at Ronald J. Bua & Associates today for a free consultation about your nursing home abuse case. We will thoroughly investigate the situation and help your loved one recoup losses for pain and suffering, financial exploitation, and medical expenses resulting from abuse or neglect. Call us if you suspect your loved one is experiencing any type of nursing home abuse or neglect (412) 471-4244.

A recent client’s review: “After speaking with you, both my wife and I were again confident that we did have a case and that we would be compensated for her injuries. And you delivered. Ron, thank you again for all that you have done for my wife and my family. Your hard work has changed our lives.” – A Former Client