A nursing home abuse attorney specializes in elder abuse law and aims to secure justice and recover damages for older people who have been wronged by caregivers. Elder abuse can take many forms, including physical, sexual, financial, emotional, psychological, and neglect. Perpetrators include doctors, nurses, non-medical service providers, family members, and others. Attorneys may specialize in a specific area of elder abuse law and may be hired by family members or social service/community groups. They may also represent structures or accused caregivers.
Every state has a body of law that protects the elderly and outlines certain standards for their care. This body of legislation is usually called the Elder Abuse Act. A nursing home abuse attorney is a legal professional who specializes in elder abuse law or a specific area of that law. You usually have in-depth knowledge of legislation aimed at protecting the elderly. You also typically have a thorough understanding of the legislation and standards outlined for healthcare professionals.
The Elder Abuse Act recognizes that older adults are often in vulnerable positions. In some cases, people in care settings do not have family members or friends to ensure they are properly cared for. The most common duties of a nursing home abuse attorney are to attempt to secure justice and recover damages for older people when it appears they have been wronged by caregivers.
There are many ways an older person can be abused. Physical and sexual abuse are two examples. Financial abuse is another example. There are cases of emotional and psychological abuse. One of the most common types of elder abuse, however, is neglect.
The people who may be guilty of elder abuse also vary widely. These may include doctors or nurses. Non-medical service providers, such as maintenance or security personnel, can harm the elderly. In some cases, a person’s family members are also the perpetrators.
A nursing home abuse attorney can handle cases involving any of these circumstances or perpetrators. It is even possible for a nursing home abuse attorney to take cases involving older people who have been harmed in conditions other than nursing homes. These include the abuses that occur in adult day care centers and while receiving home care. Some attorneys, however, don’t take all types of cases. They may choose to specialize in a single area, such as financial elder abuse.
The elder who is wronged is not always the party who engages the services of a nursing home abuse attorney. Sometimes such a professional is hired by family members who have detected a problem. In other cases, a social service or community group may believe that an older person has been abused and request legal representation on their behalf.
A nursing home abuse attorney does not always represent an older person. In some cases, such an attorney may be hired to represent a structure. A nursing home abuse attorney may also be hired on behalf of an accused caregiver.
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