Oklahoma City Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
When we place an elderly loved one in a nursing home because their care needs exceed family capability, we expect them to receive the care, compassion, and consideration for their dignity that they’ve earned over a lifetime. Sadly, many nursing home residents experience neglect and abuse regularly—sometimes with deadly results. Dehydration, malnutrition, preventable fall injuries, and intentional abuse all take place in nursing homes in Oklahoma City and elsewhere. If your aging family member suffered from nursing home abuse in Oklahoma City, you need an experienced attorney to defend their rights and achieve justice and accountability. The nursing home abuse lawyers in Oklahoma City are ready to take action. Call Dan Davis Law today for a free consultation so we can hear about your elderly loved one’s experience.
Why Choose Us for Your Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in Oklahoma City?
The Oklahoma City injury attorneys at Dan Davis Law have deep compassion for elderly victims of nursing home abuse and their devastated family members. We take each case personally, delivering an individualized strategy to secure the maximum compensation available in every case. At Dan Davis Law, we do the following:
- Offer free confidential consultations for our clients and contingency-based payment so clients pay nothing until after we win their cases
- Put our over 25 years of experience in this specialized area behind your case so we achieve prompt action and deliver results
- Give our clients the advantages and resources of a large-city law firm and the reassurance and understanding of a local, family-owned law firm with a small-town feel
- Achieve the results your loved one deserves through skilled negotiations for a settlement or assertive litigation in court
With a team of dedicated advocates headed by lead attorney, Dan Davis, we’ve secured over $400 million for our injured clients including for victims of nursing home abuse and their families.
Startling Nursing Home Abuse Statistics
It’s difficult to imagine that an elderly family member could endure harm at the hands of those we trust with their care. Still, research from the National Council on Aging (NCOA) reveals that five million Americans experience abuse in nursing homes each year. The following statistics on nursing home abuse and neglect are alarming:
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) found that 2 out 3 nursing home caregivers admit to behaviors that constitute abuse to residents in their care
- 81% of surveyed nursing home staff members admit to witnessing the emotional abuse of elders
- Over 24% of 452 interviewed family members reported that their family member experienced at least one instance of abuse while in a nursing home
- Elder financial abuse costs seniors up to $36.5 billion annually
- Around two percent of nursing home sexual abuse cases are reported, and experts presume that 50% of cases go undetected and/or unreported
- 30% of nursing homes reported understaffing in 2022
WHO predicts an increase in nursing home abuse cases as the global population of the elderly will more than double by 2050.
Types of Nursing Home Abuse in Oklahoma
Elderly nursing home residents are vulnerable to many types of neglect and abuse. Elderly abuse in nursing homes results in physical, emotional, and economic injury. Types of nursing home abuses reported in Oklahoma City include the following:
- Emotional and verbal abuse, including yelling, berating, threatening, belittling, and humiliating
- Physical abuse
- Restraint misuse
- Medication misuse
- Resident-on-resident abuse
- Financial abuse
- Abandonment (leaving residents alone for long periods in their rooms or common areas)
- Sexual abuse
When a nursing home victim experiences abuse, it causes physical and cognitive decline, injury, illnesses such as sepsis, and death. If your loved one died due to nursing home abuse or neglect, a nursing home wrongful death case can help your family gain a sense of justice.
Five Worst Nursing Homes in Oklahoma City
Some of the nation’s worst-ranked nursing homes are in Oklahoma City. According to Medicare rankings, these nursing homes in Oklahoma City consistently rank low in resident and family surveys:
- Park Place Healthcare and Rehab on NE Grand Boulevard in Oklahoma City
- Emerald Care Center Southwest on South Walker
- Northwest Nursing Center on NW 61st Street
- Windsor Hills Nursing Center on North Ann Arbor Street
- Cross Timbers Nursing and Rehabilitation on Buena Vista Avenue
At least 12 other nursing homes in Oklahoma City have one-star ratings describing the facility as “much below average.”
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
Many nursing home residents are cognitively unable to report their abuse or neglect to family members. Some may not report neglect because they fear reprisals from nursing home staff members. Family members should watch for signs of nursing home abuse in Oklahoma City elderly residents such as the following:
- Sudden weight loss
- Changes in mood and personality
- Dry skin and lips
- Untreated bed sores
- Unexplained fractures, bruises, and lacerations
- Broken personal items like glasses and dentures
- Poor hygiene and unkempt appearance
- Messy room and soiled sheets
- Medication errors
- Uneaten meals remaining in the resident’s room
- Reluctance to speak in front of staff members
- Unexplained financial transactions
- Bruises or bleeding around private parts
When witnessing signs of abuse or neglect in an elderly loved one, family members should order a medical evaluation from a physician not associated with the facility and report abuse to local law enforcement. If your aging family member has experienced abuse, call the Oklahoma City nursing home abuse attorneys at Dan Davis Law for an evaluation of your case.
Common Causes of Nursing Home Abuse in Oklahoma City
Nursing homes in Oklahoma suffer from chronic understaffing resulting in overworked, over-tired caregivers with a much higher ratio of residents per caregiver than recommended. As a result, neglect and injuries occur to vulnerable residents. The staff turnover rates for nursing homes are also very high, leaving undertrained unfamiliar staff members caring for residents. When a nursing home doesn’t have adequate or well-trained staff, residents don’t receive the care they need, including ensuring they take in adequate fluids and nutrition, practice good hygiene, and receive prompt care for illnesses and pressure sores.
Call the Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys at Dan Davis Law
Nursing homes have a duty to treat their residents within the standards of care accepted by the medical community and to treat residents with respect for their human dignity. When they disregard this duty and the result is a resident’s physical injury, emotional injury, or death, the nursing home is liable for the damages like medical expenses, funeral costs, and compensation for physical and emotional pain and suffering. The victim and their family members deserve justice and accountability. A nursing home abuse case brings both through the form of financial compensation. Call Dan Davis Law today for a free consultation on your case so we can pursue action on your loved one’s behalf.