When you make the difficult and emotional decision to place an aging parent or other loved one in need of full-time care into a nursing home or assisted living facility, you have every right to expect the staff will do everything in their power to care for your loved one as you would. If they don’t, you have every right to feel disappointed, frustrated and eager to right the wrongs and receive compensation on behalf of your loved ones and the expenses incurred on their behalf.
Failure to Meet a Standard of Care
Doctors and nurses are held to a high standard of care when it comes to how they treat their patients. In Maryland, medical malpractice means you and your trusted attorneys must prove the healthcare professional from whom you received treatment breached, or violated, the standard of care. Courts generally see the standard of care as the procedures and practices generally accepted and used by medical professionals who practice in the same geographic area when caring for patients who exhibit a particular disorder or disease. This standard of care may differ in response to a variety of facts, such as the patient’s age and medical history.
In addition to showing the doctor breached the standard of care, you must also show this breach is what caused your injuries. A breach of a standard of care can happen at a number of different points during treatment, such as:
- Misdiagnosing or failing to diagnose a problem
- Failing to administer treatment properly
- Prescribing the wrong medication for an illness
- Failing to inform a patient about the risks of treatment.
Does Medical Neglect Apply to Nursing Home Staff?
This standard of care also exists for doctors and nurses who work within nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other homes for the elderly. Unfortunately, some doctors and nurses fail to meet this standard, which often results in harm to a patient.
Get Legal Help
If your loved one has been injured due to medical negligence, or if you lost a loved one due to neglect, then reach out to our firm. At The Jaklitsch Law Group, our Maryland nursing home neglect lawyers in Upper Marlboro and Annapolis represent clients throughout the Baltimore metropolitan area in cases of medical neglect in nursing homes. We have more than 50 years of combined legal experience, we can help you understand your legal rights and remedies.
Examples of Medical Negligence
Many cases of medical negligence in nursing home settings involve the following:
- Untreated bedsores/pressure sores
- Untreated cuts or bruises
- Untreated colds or coughs that lead to pneumonia
- Medication errors, including giving wrong prescriptions or not prescribing enough medicine
Elderly individuals often have poor immune systems, which makes them more susceptible to injury and infection. In fact, some injuries, such as bedsores, can lead to wrongful death when not treated. If you notice that your loved one is suffering from any of the above, or suffered even worse injury due to any of the above, reach out to our law firm immediately.
Ask an Upper Marlboro Medical Malpractice Attorney
To seek justice for your elderly relative or loved one, contact us online or call 301-358-3299 or 866-586-6079 for a free consultation. Your initial consultation is free. Additionally, we charge no attorney fees unless we obtain compensation for you.
From our offices in Upper Marlboro and Annapolis, we represent injured people throughout Prince George’s County, Ann Arundel County, southern Maryland and the Baltimore metropolitan area. If you cannot come to us, we can arrange to meet you in Maryland or DC.
