Nursing Home Negligence – Joe Griffith Law

NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE & ABUSE – MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Top rated Joe Griffith has a wealth of experience in the legal fields of nursing home negligence, nursing home abuse, personal injury, medical malpractice and wrongful deaths. Located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, he devotes 100% of his practice to litigation. Nursing home neglect, personal injury and wrongful death litigation are a major focus of his practice. A former federal prosecutor Joseph P. Griffith, Jr., is designated as an AV rated lawyer by the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell® attorney rating company, signifying the highest possible ranking for legal ability and ethics as judged by peers in the legal profession. The Joe Griffith Law Firm is dedicated to providing outstanding legal service to each of its clients and will fight to obtain all of the compensation due clients under the law. Client satisfaction is JGLF's number one goal.

When a nursing home accepts a resident into its facility, it has a responsibility and owes certain duties to the resident to meet his or her specific needs related to his condition. Many of the injuries and accidents that commonly occur in nursing homes are the result of negligence, and sometimes even intentional acts of abuse. When a nursing home causes harm to a resident because it fails to act responsibly, the nursing home should be held accountable.

Signs that your loved one may be receiving inadequate or poor treatment in a nursing home may include any of the following:

Unexplained injuries (i.e., bruises, fractures)
Falls
Rapid weight loss
Pressure sores (also called bed sores and pressure ulcers)
Sudden decline in physical or mental condition
Change in behavior
Afraid or fearful of staff and/or other residents
Wandering outside the facility (or into inappropriate areas inside the facility)
Foul smell continuously or frequently
Infections such as sepsis, osteomyelitis, urinary tract infections, infected pressure sores

Examples of common nursing home abuse and neglect claims include the following:

Assault by nursing home staff or other residents (i.e., fear of harm and/or fear of any offensive touching)
Battery by nursing home staff or other residents (i.e., any harmful or offensive touching, can be sexual or violent)
Physical or chemical restraint (above minimum required by the resident’s condition)
Malnutrition (failure to provide appropriate diet and/or assist in feeding)
Dehydration (failure to provide appropriate liquids and/or assist in drinking)
Inappropriate medications (over-medication, under-medication, incorrect medication)
Negligence resulting in unexplained injuries, falls, fractures, decline in health, worsening condition and other injuries
Unsanitary and unclean conditions (failure to provide/assist in toileting, incontinent care, personal hygiene and a clean room including fresh bedding/linens and safe floors)
Stealing, theft, fraud, forgery
Bed sore, pressure sore or pressure ulcer development or worsening
Infections
Insufficient number of staff in relation to the number of residents
Inadequately trained and/or overworked staff
Inappropriately supervised staff
Negligent hiring and retention of staff (i.e., employing staff with criminal history)
Wandering outside the facility

Federal and State Laws and Regulations for Nursing Homes

“Care for its residents in such a manner and in such an environment as will promote maintenance or enhancement of the quality of life of each resident”
“Provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident in accordance with a written plan of care…

Rights of Nursing Home Residents

Federal and South Carolina state regulations set forth specific requirements as to how nursing homes are to provide care and treatment to residents and protect the rights of residents. For example, South Carolina state regulations require training of caregivers in nursing homes as well as sufficient numbers of staff to provide proper care to residents.

Experience Counts

Because of attorney Joe Griffith's experience in litigating nursing home cases, he will be able to quickly pinpoint and review the relevant information contained within the abundance of paperwork from the nursing home. He is familiar with the specific types of documents maintained by nursing homes, the many federal and state requirements governing nursing homes and the issues unique to nursing home abuse and neglect cases.

For example, because of the advanced age or preexisting medical condition of nursing home residents, the nursing home often tries to argue that injuries were unavoidable or inevitable because of the resident’s health instead of the nursing home’s own negligence. However, if the nursing home’s conduct caused harm, worsened an existing condition or hastened the decline or death of a nursing home resident, thereby causing additional and unnecessary pain and suffering, the nursing home should be held responsible. Whether the nursing home’s failure to properly care for and treat your loved one resulted from corporate greed valuing profits over people’s welfare, systemic problems such as inadequate staffing of caregivers or simple human error, the nursing home has a duty to protect and care for each of its residents and should be held accountable for such failures when they cause injury or death.

The Joe Griffith Law Firm is a Charleston County, South Carolina (“SC”) law firm which handles cases involving nursing home negligence, nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect. Attorney Joe Griffith has years of experience handling these types of cases. He will investigate the facts, assess your claim, determine which parties and insurance companies are to be held responsible, organize all of the details of your case and pursue it vigorously in settlement negotiations or at trial. If you believe that you or a loved one may have a nursing home negligence, personal injury or wrongful death case, please contact the Joe Griffith Law Firm.

Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC

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843-Call-Joe

Office Address

946 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464

Phone Number

843-225-5563

Email Address

joe@joegriffith.com

Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC (sometimes "JGLF") exclusively practices litigation, led by top rated trial attorney Joseph P. Griffith, Jr., a former federal prosecutor. Located at 946 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, Mt Pleasant, S.C., Joe Griffith Law Firm, LLC handles cases in South Carolina and, on a select basis, nationwide.

Joseph P. Griffith, Jr. is responsible for this website.”