Milwaukee Legal Team Fights Nursing Home Neglect & Elder Abuse

Holding individuals and facilities accountable for harm to seniors

Elders in declining health often need more care than their loved ones can provide. It is never easy for seniors or their families to conclude that a nursing facility is the best option. But once that decision is made, the elder resident and the family should be able to expect professionalism, vigilance and compassion from the facility and its employees. But too often, residents suffer pain and indignity because of nursing home neglect, abuse and injury. That’s why for more than 35 years, Sperling Law Offices LLC in Milwaukee has fought on the side of elders and their loved ones.

What are the different types of elder abuse?

The easiest type of elder abuse to recognize is physical abuse. Some signs that your loved one may be getting physically abused include unexplained, suspicious or frequent wounds, such as cuts, bruises, fractures or head injuries.

Like other forms of abuse, elder abuse can also manifest in other ways. Unexplained agitation or sudden changes in behavior may be indications of non-physical abuse, including:

  • Sexual abuse
  • Emotional and psychological abuse
  • Financial exploitation

Because it often goes unreported, it is difficult to say exactly how frequent abuse occurs in nursing homes. This makes it all the more important for family members to be vigilant about the signs of potential abuse.

What is nursing home neglect?

While abuse is a willfully harmful act, neglect occurs when a caregiver fails to fulfill their obligations for the elder’s care. Neglect can be intentional or unintentional. When the nursing home staff denies the resident’s needs regarding shelter, food, clothing, hygiene or medical care, it could be considered neglect.

When you visit your loved ones in a nursing home, be on the lookout for:

  • Bedsores and pressure ulcers
  • Dehydration
  • Infections, including necrotizing fasciitis and MRSA
  • Malnutrition
  • Unsanitary conditions
  • Rapid change in weight

Neglect can also lead to falls or medication errors — avoidable accidents that should be taken seriously. Our lawyers thoroughly investigate evidence of nursing home neglect, helping you build a case to protect your loved one from harm.

Thoroughly investigating nursing home abuse and neglect

It’s not always easy to prove nursing home abuse or neglect. Wisconsin has legal standards of care for nursing facilities, but inspections are infrequent and often superficial. When a resident fails to thrive, caregivers often blame old age, a bad attitude, unhappiness about inpatient confinement or early dementia.

Our attorneys care about vulnerable seniors. We thoroughly investigate the resident’s circumstances, including medical records, medication records, care schedule and caregiver response times. We consult with qualified experts in geriatric medicine and nursing facility management. If abuse or neglect is confirmed, the facility is usually held liable for the actions of its employees. We do everything necessary to build a case that can succeed at trial.

Contact our devoted attorneys for nursing home abuse cases in Milwaukee

At Sperling Law Offices LLC, our injury lawyers fight for elder victims of nursing home abuse, injury and neglect throughout Wisconsin. If you’re concerned that an elder loved one may have been harmed by caregivers, call us at 414-273-7777 or contact our Milwaukee office online to schedule a free consultation.