If your loved one is in a nursing home, it is important to visit as often as you can and be alert to any signs of abuse or neglect. Although some nursing home facilities provide quality care to their residents, it is a sad fact that residents of nursing homes are often the victims of abuse or neglect.
If you discover signs of abuse, you should report it promptly to protect your loved one. If a life-threatening emergency arises, call 911 immediately and deal with those responsible for the situation later. In a non-emergency, you may need to promptly report the abuse to nursing home management, authorities with the State of Rhode Island, or both.
One of the best steps you can take is to talk with a compassionate and experienced nursing home abuse attorney at Marasco & Nesselbush. We provide our clients with compassionate and effective legal representation when faced with complex legal matters related to nursing home abuse or neglect. We are here to hold negligent nursing homes accountable for all the different types of abuse and harm they have caused.
Contact us now to discuss your situation for free and get the legal advice you need to report nursing home abuse or neglect.
Where to Report Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect
Some instances of abuse or neglect may be corrected by reporting the situation to the nursing home’s management.Caregivers may simply need additional instruction or, in some cases, management may need to dismiss and replace a caregiver.
However, if the problem is serious – or if management is part of the problem – it will be necessary to report the issue to outside authorities.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), nearly 1 in 3 nursing homes in the U.S. was cited for federal standards violations that had the potential to cause harm or actually did cause harm to a resident. Also according to the NCEA, 2,000 nursing home resident interviews revealed that 44 percent of those interviewed reported having suffered abuse, and 95 percent reported that they had either experienced neglect personally or observed it with other residents.
Reporting Nursing Home Abuse to State Authorities
As stated by the Rhode Island Department of Human Services Division of Elderly Affairs (DEA), any person with reasonable cause to believe that an elder has been abused is required by state law to report the abuse to the DEA. An elderly person in this context is anyone 60 years of age or older.
The DEA Protective Services Unit lists a contact telephone number of 401-462-0555. The main number for the DEA is 401-462-3000. The DEA’s mailing address is: 74 West Road, Hazard Building, 2nd Floor, Cranston RI 02920.
Depending on the circumstances and the nature and severity of the abuse or neglect, it could be helpful to report nursing home abuse to other agencies, as well, possibly including:
Can A Lawyer Help In Nursing Home Abuse Cases?
If your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect in a nursing home, a qualified nursing home abuse attorney can do a great deal to help you right the wrongs and protect your loved one.
At Marasco & Nesselbush, our Rhode Island personal injury lawyers are committed to providing effective and compassionate legal representation to our clients in nursing home abuse and neglect cases. Our goal is to hold negligent nursing homes accountable for the harm they have done.
We can help ensure that your complaints on behalf of your elderly loved one are properly reported to the authorities and addressed with the urgency they deserve. Our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers can also evaluate the facts of your case for a potential legal claim for compensation to cover the losses you and your loved one have suffered.
To learn more about how we can protect your loved one, please fill out the free case evaluation form on this page, or call us today for a free consultation. We have offices conveniently located in Warwick, Wakefield, Woonsocket, and Providence and are here to help you.