Nursing Home Negligence Attorneys in Aurora, IL
Kane County Advocates for Victims of Nursing Home Accidents, Neglect, and Abuse
Families struggle every day with the need to place elderly and vulnerable loved ones into the care of nursing homes. These for-profit institutions have a legal duty to provide the supervision, attention and care that family members can no longer provide. That duty and trust are betrayed when loved ones are injured or killed by negligent staff or indifferent corporations. If your family has been a casualty of nursing home negligence, you need an experienced lawyer to fight for you.
At Kinnally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur, P.C., standing up for the weakest in our society is a special responsibility that we take very seriously. For decades, our lawyers have been helping the victims of nursing home negligence throughout Chicagoland. We understand the care that nursing homes are supposed to provide and the human consequences when they fail to provide it. Injuries to seniors have a disproportionately severe impact. They have less to lose to begin with such that any loss or diminution is more consequential. Understanding this vulnerability is essential to appreciating the full impact of an injury. and therefore ensuring that fair and just compensation is received. Our job is to protect your loved one through the legal system when caregivers fail to protect them in the nursing home.
Nursing Home Neglect
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 1,800 nursing home residents die from falls each year. Many of these accidents could have been prevented if the nursing home had proper staffing to provide the level of care seniors deserve. Aside from nursing home falls, understaffed facilities can lead to other forms of neglect, including:
- Insufficient Food and Water
- Inadequate Personal Hygiene
- Excessive Isolation
- Medication and Prescription Errors
- Pressure Ulcers or Bed Sores
- Untimely or Inadequate Medical Care
Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse usually results from affirmative misconduct rather than inattention and neglect. Abuse takes many forms, but includes:
- Hitting, Kicking, or Mishandling (Physical Abuse)
- Improper Restraint or Isolation
- Improper Use of Drugs (Such as Sedatives) to Incapacitate Residents
- Constant Criticism, Humiliation, or Ridicule (Emotional Abuse)
- Sexual Abuse
- Failure to Prevent Known or Suspected Physical, Emotional, or Sexual Abuse by Others
- Theft of Money or Personal Belongings and Unauthorized Use of Bank Cards or Accounts (Financial Abuse)
Illinois Law
Recognizing the special vulnerability of seniors, Illinois has a law dedicated to protecting them and providing victims a remedy when nursing home abuse or neglect occurs. This law is known as the Nursing Home Care and Reform Act. The law also makes nursing homes pay for your attorneys’ fees if the abuse or neglect claim is proven.
Nursing home negligence is one of the most underreported crimes. Seniors are often reluctant to report the negligence for fear of retaliation, and many seniors are cognitively unable to recognize or report it. The National Center on Elder Abuse reports that 45 percent of nursing home residents feel abused and that 95 percent feel neglected.
Experience Inside and Outside the Courtroom
Mediation has become a popular method of resolving legal claims because it is faster and less expensive than trial. The lawyers at Kinnally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur P.C. have been utilizing mediation for years with great success. But mediation will only be successful if your lawyer is also an experienced trial lawyer. Insurance companies will not pay full and fair compensation unless your lawyer is able to try the case when settlement fails. It is only the credible threat of trial that keeps insurance companies honest and makes true justice possible.
At Kinally Flaherty Krentz Loran Hodge & Masur P.C., our attorneys are recognized as among the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Illinois. If you have an elderly family member who has been injured in a nursing home, speak with one of our experienced and compassionate attorneys today. Contact us today at 630-907-0909 for a free consultation. From our offices in Aurora, Illinois, we provide exceptional representation for victims of nursing home accidents, neglect and abuse in Naperville, Oswego, Montgomery, Sugar Grove, Kane County, Kendall County, Will County, DuPage County, Cook County, Chicago, and surrounding communities.
