Seeking Justice Against an Abusive Alexandria Nursing Home? Our Virginia Attorneys Can Help
Virginia nursing home abuse is a focus of our firm. With offices in DC and Southern Virginia, Senior Justice Law Firm is uniquely positioned to represent your family on an Alexandria nursing home negligence claim.
An Alexandria bed sore, broken bone or wrongful death is inexcusable inside a long term care facility. Call the caring and compassionate lawyers at Senior Justice Law Firm to begin your investigation into the truth.
Call or Live Chat with Senior Justice Law Firm today for a completely free Alexandria nursing home abuse attorney case consultation.
202-899-3111
Alexandria Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys
Northern Virginia Attorney Advocating for Victims of Elder Abuse in Alexandria
When people consider what part of the country they’d like to move to when they retire, Virginia often comes to mind. Its wide array of beautiful beaches, fair weather, and central location relative to day trip hotspots like Washington, D.C. make it very popular for older folks who are considering where they envision their future. Alexandria, Virginia in particular is a frequent choice, which means that the city and surrounding areas are full of nursing homes.
You may think that because the older population is so concentrated around Alexandria, nursing homes would have skillful, quality care down pat. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for even the highest rated nursing homes to find themselves guilty of neglect or abuse, and this could result in injury or even death for your loved one.
Tragically, the majority of Alexandria skilled nursing facilities received average or below average ratings. Even the best Northern Virginia nursing homes scrimp on staff and allow mistakes to occur. This is beyond explanation, regardless of the victim’s age.
We are Alexandria nursing home abuse attorneys who work on nursing home abuse cases only.
We want to hold nursing homes accountable for their mistreatment of your loved one and help you achieve the justice and compensation you deserve.
Live chat or call our office today to learn more about your legal rights in pursuing an Alexandria nursing home abuse lawsuit.
Poor Care Inside Alexandria Nursing Homes
Nursing Home Care Lackluster in Alexandria
Folks nearing retirement age from around the country flock to Alexandria, one of the nation’s top small cities. In fact, Southern Living awarded Alexandria the coveted title of the South’s Best City in 2020. It is no wonder, then, why so many people are eager to retire in this quaint town full of soul.
If you would like to spend a relaxed and easy day on the town, you can choose from a variety of simple pleasures like walking the King Street Mile, one of the “great streets” of America that features architecture from centuries past, cobblestone walkways, and quirky shops. Water taxis and the Potomac Riverboat Company can offer you a gentle cruise on the water and a stop to visit the Carlyle House. If staying in is more what you like to do, there are a wide variety of nursing homes in the area to consider.
In fact, there are 20 nursing homes within the 10 mile area that surrounds the city center of Alexandria. Unfortunately, the vast majority score at the bare minimum level of 1 out of 5 on their inspections for quality and patient care, and some have even been directly cited, fined, or put into remedial programs because their care is so lacking. Even if your family member lives in one of the higher rated locations, he or she is not immune to abuse or neglect.
If you have any reason to suspect that your loved one is being mistreated at an Alexandria nursing home—even if it is because of injuries or indicators you cannot quite explain—it is important to get in touch with an experienced legal professional. We can review your situation and guide you on the best next steps to ensure that you receive the justice you deserve and that the nursing home is appropriately penalized.
Understanding Signs of Alexandria Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect
Abusive or Negligent Nursing Home Signs and Symptoms
When you are considering nursing homes in Alexandria, it is important to think about how they are managed. The majority of nursing homes—not just in Alexandria but also throughout Virginia—are run by for-profit organizations. This means that filling a nursing home with as many beds as possible and ensuring that people are taking up those beds is their top priority. Because of this, nursing homes do not usually have enough staff to properly attend to each resident.
This is how nursing home abuse and neglect happens. When staff are unable to devote proper time and attention to residents, those residents may not receive the quality of care and assistance that they need. Whether this unacceptable level of care is intentional (if a nurse is, for example, choosing to ignore a resident) or simply negligent, the nursing home is still at fault.
Not all signs of nursing home abuse are easy to spot. That being said, some injuries are hallmarks of neglect. Below are the most common nursing home negligence injuries that result in our firm filing a claim.
- Bedsores– When trying to prove that a nursing home was abusive or negligent, few pieces of evidence are as conclusive as bedsores. These ulcer-like marks on the skin are a hallmark of abusive long-term care facilities because there is no medical reason for them—nothing aside from abuse will ever cause a bed sore. When a resident lies in the same position for a long time without moving, the pressure on thin-skinned areas like the shoulders, elbows, and tailbone can generate bed sores. Staff can prevent bedsores easily by simply helping residents to shift their bodyweight every few hours. Failure to do so can quickly become fatal, as bedsores may grow to reach all the way to the bone and expose a resident to critical illnesses like infections, MRSA, and sepsis.
- Falls– When a nursing home accepts a new patient, it is their responsibility to conduct a fall risk analysis that lets staff know how much of a risk each resident is in regards to falling. Some falls are true accidents and could not have been prevented, but many nursing homes do not take adequate steps to ensure a safe environment. Trip hazards or beds that residents can accidentally roll out of constitute negligence, and residents who have fallen can be seriously injured or even killed. If you notice unexplained injuries on your loved one or that residents are allowed to move about freely without supervision, the nursing home may not be conducting due diligence. A fall can be severe, leading to broken bones and brain bleeds (called subdural hematomas).
- Malnutrition/dehydration– Residents at homes that are negligent are at a much higher risk than average of choking on their food or something “going down the wrong pipe” (aspiration pneumonia), which can be fatal very quickly. When residents are not properly supervised, these issues may become a problem. Similarly, residents with mobility issues may struggle to eat or drink at all, leading to malnutrition and dehydration that can wreak havoc on their wellbeing.
- Physical and sexual abuse– Unfortunately, both physical and sexual abuse are not uncommon at nursing homes, even in spite of background checks meant to discourage such behavior. When overworked staff are struggling to deal with a resident who is belligerent, confused, or slow, they may lash out. While this is never acceptable, it does unfortunately happen. This risk can also come in the form of other residents. If your loved one’s nursing home neighbors struggle with cognition, memory, or awareness, they may behave in inappropriate or aggressive ways with those they come in contact with. It is the responsibility of the nursing home to quell this behavior and keep it under control before it happens.
Taking Action After an Injury inside an Alexandria Facility
If you suspect that your loved one was abused or neglected in an Alexandria nursing home, you may feel overwhelmed and upset. This is reasonable—your loved one suffered greatly, and the thought of going through with a lawsuit for monetary damages might feel pointless, because money can never undo all of the injustice and pain that your family member endured.
First, you should report the abuse to the Commonwealth of Virginia. You can also report the abuse to the Northern Virginia Long Term Care Ombudsman.
Once you’ve reported the incident to the appropriate authorities serving Alexandria, contact our firm to investigate a civil case.
It is important to remember that following up with a lawsuit is one of the most critical things you can do. The very best way to get nursing homes to improve their care is to hit them directly where it hurts the most—their bottom line. These for-profit organizations respond best when they are forced to sacrifice profits to settle a suit, and they will amend their practices to avoid such costly suits in the future. In this way, you can protect others who rely on Alexandria nursing homes for their care.
All nursing home lawsuits are unique, but the most common are areas cited in legal proceedings are generally:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium (when someone is deprived of the family benefits of having a loved one, such as affection and sexual relations)
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Distress, both mental and emotional
- Medical bills
- Loss of earnings
- Funeral costs (if a wrongful death has occurred)
NURSING HOMES IN ALEXANDRIA:
There are 20 nursing homes in Alexandria and the surrounding 10 mile area, and most struggle even to pass the baseline requirements in order to continue operating. Some have even been cited specifically for abuse and neglect or received fines because of their extraordinarily poor performance during inspections. Some of these facilities include (but are not limited to):
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Alexandria Nursing Home News
Virginia as a whole has been struggling to provide sufficient nursing home care to residents, with the state seeing nearly 5 million dollars in fines since 2014 according to local news source WTKR. Some facilities are seeing citations multiple times with no change in behavior, and others report chronic understaffing and staff compensation that is simply unsustainable for those working at these facilities.
More than 100 nursing homes in the area have been issues citations for “1) hiring only people with no legal history of abusing, neglecting or mistreating residents, or [failing to] 2) report and investigate any acts or reports of abuse, neglect or mistreatment of residents.” The governor has plans to expand the oversight of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, but it is unclear at this time when such changes may begin and how far-reaching they may be.
NURSING HOME ABUSE LAWSUIT IN ARLINGTON AND FAIRFAX COUNTIES
Free Consultation for Alexandria Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuits
If you have reached the point where you are considering a lawsuit against the nursing home that mistreated your loved one, it can be challenging to figure out what to do next.
We are narrowly focused on nursing home abuse cases, so we can offer experience and dedicated tools to bolster your case and give you the best possible outcome. We are firm in our commitment to seek justice for families and hold negligent nursing homes accountable, so we would be glad to assist you in your lawsuit against an abusive facility.
Get in touch by using our chat feature or submitting your information below. You can also contact us via phone at 202-899-3111.
