Fort Lauderdale, the largest city in Broward County, FL, is home to over 165,000 residents. With an average temperature of 77°F and over 3,000 hours of sunshine annually, Fort Lauderdale is both a tourist attraction and a favorite retirement destination for “sunbirds.” In fact, nearly 12% of the city’s households are made up of individuals over the age of 65. Unfortunately, because Fort Lauderdale is such a draw for senior citizens, there is an increased likelihood of cases of Nursing home abuse and neglect in the region.
At Madalon Law, our Fort Lauderdale nursing home attorneys understand abuse and neglect scenarios and have years of experience handling elder abuse lawsuits. We have the expertise and resources necessary to help you and elder family members with your claim, to recover compensation for pain, suffering, and financial losses caused by such abuse or neglect.
Understanding What Constitutes a Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect Case Seniors residing in elder care facilities put their physical and mental well-being, and often their financial futures, in the hands of nursing home administrators and staff. All too often, this dependence can lead to abuses such as physical harm, sexual molestation, emotional maltreatment, neglect, or even misappropriation of a resident’s money. If it can be demonstrated that a facility or its employees have acted with malice or neglect, causing pain, suffering, increased medical expenses, disfigurement, disability, or financial losses, the resident and/or their family members can file a claim to hold the facility and/or the responsible individual liable for all damages.
You may have grounds for filing a Fort Lauderdale nursing home abuse and neglect claim if damages result from any of the following:
- Negligent hiring (unqualified, unlicensed staff or failure to perform background checks)
- Understaffing so that staff members cannot spend adequate time providing care and companionship to each resident.
- Inadequate training
- Injuries caused by a third party (another resident or visitor) on facility property
- Breach of a resident’s rights to autonomy, dignity, and privacy
- Errors in prescribing, distributing, or administering prescription or over-the-counter medication
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Neglect
- Misappropriation of a resident’s money by those entrusted to monitor an elderly resident’s spending
Damages Possible in Nursing Home Abuse CasesIf your elderly loved one has suffered physically, emotionally, or financially due to the negligence or intentional wrongdoing of a nursing home or its employees, you may be able to receive compensation for such damages as medical bills, pain and suffering, disfigurement, or disability. In the state of Florida, victims of nursing home abuse or neglect may also receive punitive damages, but such damages are usually only awarded in the most egregious cases.
If you believe that an elderly loved one has suffered abuse and/or neglect at the hands of adult caregivers or nursing home staff in Fort Lauderdale or surrounding areas such as Davie, Hollywood, Plantation, Tamarac, Pompano Beach or other Broward County cities, contact the Fort Lauderdale accident attorneys of Madalon Law to discuss your case. We offer a free consultation with an elder abuse lawyer, and if we take your case, you will pay no attorney’s fees unless we win your case. You should seek the compensation your loved one deserves for their suffering.