$1,700,000
Car accident
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settlement
$1,093,000
Car accident
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$1,150,000
Car accident
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settlement
Nursing home abuse and elder neglect is a serious and far too common problem. According to a study conducted by the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee, 30 percent of U.S. nursing homes have been cited for abuses.
It is beyond sad that thousands of our nation’s elderly are abused each year in the very facilities responsible for their care. Unfortunately, many institutions put profits over people by cutting back on staff or hiring less qualified employees to care for your loved one.
These choices can result in residents not receiving the attention they require which can lead to disastrous outcomes such as debilitating falls, untreated bedsores, inadequate medical care, malnutrition, dehydration, preventable accidents, and under the worst circumstances, death.
If someone you love has been abused or neglected in a nursing home in Denver, CO, you may be entitled to significant compensation. An experienced Denver nursing home abuse lawyer can help you fight to hold the responsible parties accountable.
Our team at Zaner Harden Law is well-equipped to help you fight for compensation for medical bills, humiliation, pain, suffering, and more.
Collectively, our lawyers have decades of experience fighting for injured clients and their families. We’ve used our skills to recover tens of millions of dollars to help families like yours get justice.
Contact our law offices in Denver, Colorado at (720) 613 9706 to schedule a free consultation today.
Trusting a nursing home to care for a family member can be extremely difficult, even if they can no longer care for themselves. If you see signs of abuse, it’s important to get help immediately.
Nursing home residents in Colorado have the right to be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Colorado law also makes elder abuse a crime. Perpetrators of abuse face severe punishment. But what about your family’s costs and your personal losses?
While the criminal courts should impose punishment, an experienced Denver personal injury lawyer can help you fight for financial compensation. At Zaner Harden Law, our team has been listed by Super Lawyers and The National Trial Lawyers’ “Top 100.”
Hire us, and our attorneys will:
Hiring an experienced Denver personal injury attorney can be the best way to protect your loved one’s future. Contact us today to schedule a free case review to learn more about how we can help your family through this difficult time.
There are many forms of nursing home abuse. Each has the potential to cause severe long-term damage to both victims and their families.
At Zaner Harden Law, we handle all types of nursing home abuse and neglect claims, including those involving:
Nursing home neglect can be active or passive. In some cases, staff members actively ignore their duties and deprive residents of their basic rights. In other cases, the nursing home may be understaffed and underfunded. In either case, the resident may lack basic access to food, water, and medications.
Any type of abuse can be devastating. If your loved one is suffering, contact our Denver nursing home abuse attorneys today. We offer a free case review, so there’s no risk.
Some of the factors that our legal team will evaluate when we’re building your case include:
Insurance companies and defense attorneys often try to focus on a victim’s current financial expenses–and ignore the rest of the story. As a victim of abuse and neglect, it’s possible that the ordeal could haunt your family for years to come. The personal losses you suffer could greatly exceed your financial costs.
Our team at Zaner Harden Law is here to help you hold those responsible for the abuse fully accountable. To learn more about your case value, call our law firm in Denver to discuss your case in detail.
Like any car accident victim, you can seek compensation for your economic and non-economic damages.
Examples of the types of damages your family may have suffered include:
You can also seek punitive damages from the abusive party. These damages are awarded solely to punish a defendant for intentional wrongdoing and shocking behavior.
Many nursing home residents are already vulnerable. Their physical or mental health is already compromised to the point where they require around-the-clock care. Nursing home abuse only makes matters worse–and can cause new and lasting conditions.
Some of the potential long-term consequences of nursing home abuse include:
These and other effects of abuse can change your family’s life forever. For help recovering fair compensation, call our experienced attorneys in Denver today.
Accidents do happen–and nursing home residents are in a compromised state to begin with. It isn’t always easy to know whether abuse is occurring.
Some signs of nursing home abuse and neglect include:
While it can be difficult to accuse a trusted caregiver of abuse, it’s important to take action quickly. Our Colorado nursing home abuse lawyers can help. If you suspect your loved one is being abused, call us today. We’ll help you report the abuse and get your loved one to a safe place.
Nursing home abuse and neglect happen for many different reasons.
Nursing home abuse often occurs due to:
Do you suspect your loved one is being abused in an assisted living facility? Contact Zaner Harden Law for a free consultation today. We’ll do everything we can to identify the root cause of the abuse and help you seek justice.
Any party who directly caused the abuse or allowed the abuse to happen can be held financially accountable.
Examples of responsible parties may include:
Most nursing home abuse is perpetrated by nursing home employees. The abusive employee may face criminal charges for their acts of abuse. They can also be liable for damages in civil court.
As an employer, the nursing home itself can be held liable for staff members’ actions under state vicarious liability laws.
To recover compensation from the nursing home, our lawyers will work to establish:
Don’t worry if you don’t have the evidence to back up your personal injury claim. Our lawyers will conduct our own investigation to find out what really happened.
The statute of limitations in most Colorado personal injury cases is two years. You’ll generally have two years from the date you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, the abuse to take legal action.
However, it’s essential to note that there may be exceptions. That’s why it’s crucial to contact an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer as soon as possible.
In Colorado, during fiscal year 2007, Adult Protective Services received approximately 11,000 reports of adult mistreatment and self-neglect. Approximately 6,400 cases were active during fiscal year 2007. Just over half of Colorado’s adult protective services clients are age 75 and older. Reports of abuse are expected to increase by 15% a year, according to the Colorado Elder Abuse Task Force.
Approximately 1 in 10 Americans aged 60+ have experienced some form of elder abuse. Some estimates range as high as 5 million elders who are abused each year. One study estimated that only 1 in 14 cases of abuse are reported to authorities.
Abusers are both women and men. In almost 60% of elder abuse and neglect incidents, the perpetrator is a family member. Two-thirds of perpetrators are adult children or spouses.
Two factors that contribute to the elderly falling prey to elder abuse are social isolation and mental impairment (such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease). Recent studies show that nearly half of those with dementia experienced abuse or neglect. Interpersonal violence also occurs at disproportionately higher rates among adults with disabilities.
Sadly, because instances of elder abuse and neglect are not always readily identifiable, it is not uncommon for these forms of abuse to go on for months or even years at a time. If you have witnessed elder abuse or neglect or suspect that it is occurring, you have a moral obligation to do what you can to make it stop. Common symptoms and indications of abuse and neglect include:
Victims of elder abuse or neglect may not tell you what is happening for fear of retaliation, so it is critical that you know what to look for and that you are prepared to take action on their behalf.
What Does Abuse Look Like And Where Can It Occur?
The signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect are not always easy to identify, and it’s helpful to know what to look for. It is important to understand the common symptoms and indications of abuse and neglect to be vigilant and identify signs of abuse.
Below you will find details descriptions of the most common types of elder abuse to be aware of that happen every day under a number of circumstances.
What Does Physical Elder Abuse Look Like?
Physical elder abuse is the most common and obvious type of abuse and is typically the easiest to detect. It often includes mishandling or beatings that result in cuts; scratches; bruises; welts; discoloration; open wounds; broken bones; torn, stained or bloody clothing; or restraints.
Physical elder abuse may also include over-medication resulting in drowsiness or observed in unfocused blank stares. Most serious examples of physical elder abuse include sexual abuse or injuries that require emergency treatment, hospitalization, or that result in unexplained or unexpected death.
What Does Emotional Elder Abuse Look Like?
Emotional elder abuse often accompanies physical abuse. It is also often subtle and may be more difficult to recognize. Emotional abuse includes such things as name-calling and insulting; swearing; intimidating, threatening or harassing; ignoring, confining, or isolating; humiliation; or threats to them or their loved ones.
The results of this abuse may be observed in changes in your loved one’s behavior. For example, your loved one my begin acting unusually upset or agitated, nervous, anxious, depressed, withdrawn, or non-communicative. Uncharacteristic rocking or thumb-sucking may also be the result of serious emotional elder abuse.
What Does Financial Elder Abuse Look Like?
Financial abuse occurs when assets of the resident are improperly used or diverted by caregivers, conservators, trustees, financial planners, banks, or family and friends. Examples of financial abuse include illegally taking, misusing, or concealing funds, property or assets and identity theft.
Both federal and state laws address elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, but state law is the primary source of sanctions, remedies and protections related to elder abuse. Some examples of federal and state laws applicable to elder abuse are summarized here.
Nursing home abuse is never acceptable. That said, it can be difficult to prove. It’s important to have an experienced Denver nursing home abuse lawyer fighting to protect you. If your loved one was harmed, contact Zaner Harden Law to schedule a free consultation today.
Zaner Harden Law, LLP – Denver Office
1610 Wynkoop Street. Suite 120. Denver, CO. 80202
(720) 613-9706
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