Iowa Nursing Home Liability
Des Moines Nursing Home Injury Lawyer
Compassion for your vulnerable loved ones
People live longer nowadays. Nursing homes and long-term care facilities are consequently booming. Many nursing home facilities are well-run operations that provide the respect and care that residents and their families believe they're buying. Some are not, which can lead to dangerous conditions that cause personal injuries to or the death of a nursing home resident. Nursing home victims and their families have legal rights to money damages in such situations.
Nursing home liability can arise in many ways
Nursing homes can fail their promises to their residents and their resident's families in many different respects. Nursing home residents can be victims of physical, psychological, and financial harm. Frequent examples of such conduct that we've seen include:
Physical attacks and sexual abuse by staff or other residents.
Negligent failure to provide or denial of medical care.
Failure to prevent falls and other types of self-injury, including wandering and eloping.
Improper use of physical restraints.
Dehydration.
Malnutrition.
Improper care causing bedsores.
Improper use of sedatives and other medications.
Please contact our Des Moines law firm if you believe that a loved one has been the victim of any of these types of nursing home misconduct. We've provided additional information through several of our blog posts:
Nursing Home Liability For Personal Injuries And Wrongful Death
Nursing Homes Can Be Dangerous Places
Safety Considerations For The Use Of Restraints In Nursing Homes
Medication Errors In Nursing Homes
Detecting nursing home misconduct
It's a sad fact that many victims of nursing home misconduct do not realize or are not able to report what's happened or happening to them. But families can watch for signs of nursing home issues. Warning signs of nursing home misconduct include:
Signs of physical injuries, such as cuts, bruising, or fractures.
Dirty clothing or bed sheets.
Bedsores.
Lack of hygiene or an unkempt appearance.
Signs of malnutrition or dehydration.
Changes in behavior or mental state.
If you notice any of these you should promptly bring them to the attention of the nursing home's administration. If you're not satisfied with the nursing home's response, or it's too late for the nursing home to address the situation, you may also file a complaint with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals's Health Facilities Division. That agency investigates and punishes violations of the state and federal administrative regulations that govern nursing homes.
Monetary compensation is available
Iowa law provides strong remedies if a loved one is injured or killed through nursing home misconduct. Money damages may be available for, among other things, past and future medical expenses, past and future physical and mental pain and suffering, and past and future disability or loss of function of the body. If the accident caused a death, an additional series of money damages for wrongful death may also be applicable. Spouses and children may also have a claim for loss of consortium. We invite you to take a moment to browse additional information about money damages that we've provided on our Personal Injury And Wrongful Death page.
Your attorney is waiting.
We make every effort to provide a same-day response to all communications received during weekday business hours. Initial telephone calls are always free. If it looks like we can help, it'll be our pleasure to meet with you, learn more about your situation, and lend you a hand. We handle as many of our cases as possible on a contingent fee basis, meaning that there's no fee unless we make a monetary recovery for you.
Erbe Law Firm
2501 Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50312
(515) 229-0202
Erbe Law Firm has proudly served clients throughout Iowa since 2005 from our Des Moines law firm. We look forward to hearing from you to see whether we can do the same for you.
