Filing a Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Complaint in Memphis, TN
Compassionate nursing home abuse attorneys know how to help
If you were visiting your loved ones in a nursing home and you noticed that they did not seem like themselves, or they had some unexplained bruises and bedsores, you might have become alarmed. When your loved ones looks like they might be being abused or neglected by nursing home staff, you can file a formal complaint to stop the abuse, take legal action against the perpetrators, and make sure that your loved one is safe.
At the law office of Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we share your outrage at the thought that our elders are subject to abuse and neglect from the people who are being paid to care for them. We are here to protect your loved one’s rights and make sure that the responsible parties are held liable for their actions. We serve clients throughout West Tennessee, so you always have a Memphis nursing home abuse lawyer nearby when you need one.
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How can we help you today?
- To whom do I report nursing home abuse and neglect?
- What does a long-term care Ombudsman do?
- What you should know about nursing home arbitration agreements
- What are the different types of nursing home abuse?
- How the nursing home neglect attorneys at Bailey & Greer can help
- Is there a Memphis nursing home abuse and neglect attorney near me?
To whom do I report nursing home abuse and neglect?
If it looks like your loved one has been assaulted, or is in immediate danger, call 911 to get help immediately.
In Tennessee, you can also file a complaint with the Division of Health Care facilities either by telephone or by mail. When the department receives the complaint, it will be investigated.
If you suspect your loved one has been neglected or abused, and the facility refuses to adequately research and rectify the situation, you do not have to accept that you are out of options. Something this serious should never be ignored, no matter how much a facility may try to convince you otherwise. Alongside reaching out to the appropriate parties for help, you should also document as much evidence as possible. Take pictures of any wounds or injuries your loved one has sustained, save doctors’ notes and prescriptions, keep correspondence in writing as much as possible.
While you do that, you can seek out legal representation to help you through the process, no matter what that may entail. In the meantime, you can:
- Call a nursing home abuse hotline
- Find an ombudsman, a trained representative for nursing home residents
- Contact Adult Protective Services
- Work with external doctors and medical personnel for further help
It may be tempting to try and handle the situation outside the court system and without an attorney but doing this may deprive you and your loved one of necessary compensation you are entitled to that would cover medical expenses, therapies, and relocation.
What does a long-term care Ombudsman do?
Tennessee’s long-term care Ombudsman program “provides assistance to elderly Tennesseans residing in nursing homes, homes for the aged, and assisted care living facilities. The Ombudsman is available to help residents and their families resolve questions or problems and will advocate for solutions to problems for qualified residents of long-term care facilities.”
In short, Ombudsmen serve as liaisons between residents and/or family members and facilities and/or government agencies. They handle complaints about care, assist with getting resources for residents, and answer your questions about Medicare/Medicaid and more.
If your loved one is being abused or neglected in a Memphis nursing home, an Ombudsman can help you. There are nine District offices throughout Tennessee, each with its own regional area. The Memphis Delta region (District 9) includes all of Shelby County. Your contacts are:
Zev Samuels, MSW
Tel: 901-529-4565
Email: zsamuels@mifa.org
Carlos Royston
Tel: 901-529-4562
Email: croyston@mifa.org
You can learn more here.
What you should know about nursing home arbitration agreements
When your loved one enters a nursing home as a resident, there will be volumes of documents to read and sign. This is a situation where you want to take the time to read these documents so that you are making an informed decision when you sign them. You might want to have your attorney look them over to make sure that there is nothing within the documents that might negatively impact your loved one’s best interests. One of those documents is an arbitration agreement or an alternate dispute resolution (ADR) agreement. Arbitration privatizes the legal system allowing lawyers rather than judges to preside over decision making, and it denies citizens the right to have their dispute heard in court by a judge and a jury of their peers. Arbitration heavily favors the nursing home, and once you sign a contract agreeing to it, the decision of the arbitrator is final.
Do whatever you can to avoid signing an arbitration agreement. While they may try, the nursing home cannot force you to sign one. If they will not admit your loved one without a signed arbitration agreement, you should consider finding another facility. You can revoke your agreement if you have already signed one. You can send a certified letter revoking your agreement, and after the 30-day waiting period, the agreement will be revoked. If you have any questions about the documents you must sign when your loved one is entering a nursing home, an experienced Memphis nursing home neglect attorney from Bailey & Greer is here to protect your legal rights.
What are the different types of nursing home abuse?
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) most recent data, there are about 15,300 nursing homes in the U.S., without about 1.3 million residents. Abuse and neglect are, sadly, common in these facilities. Tennessee had 3,090 complaints of abuse or neglect in 2021, and 62% were in nursing homes.
The most common types of nursing home abuse include:
- Physical abuse
- Resident on resident abuse
- Psychological abuse
- Gross neglect
- Sexual abuse
- Financial exploitation
Your safest bet, however, is to contact a skilled nursing home abuse lawyer about your concerns. At Bailey & Greer, our compassionate nursing home negligence attorneys are here to hold facility administrators and staff accountable when a resident of their facility has been abused or neglected. We fight for your loved one’s rights, and we help obtain compensation for his or her injuries.
How the Memphis nursing home neglect attorneys at Bailey & Greer can help
When you trust the compassionate, skilled team at Bailey & Greer, PLLC, you are putting your rights and the rights of your injured loved one in the hands of someone with years of training and experience. Allow our attorneys to work tirelessly on your behalf to go through the details of your case and build it to be as strong as possible, so you can focus on helping your loved one recover. We know how to hold the neglectful parties responsible, no matter how hard they try to avoid it. As sad as it is, you cannot trust the facility to put your loved one’s care over their own profits — but you can trust us. All we care about is getting you the justice and compensation you and your family deserves.
Is there a nursing home abuse and neglect attorney near me?
Bailey & Greer, PLLC, is located at 6256 Poplar Ave. If you cannot come to us due to your injuries, we will travel to visit you in the hospital or rehabilitation center, and we also offer phone consultations and virtual conferences.
Contact our Memphis nursing home negligence attorneys today
Do you need to file a complaint against a skilled nursing facility because of the abuse or neglect of a loved one? Do not wait until it gets worse, and do not trust the big-wigs in charge to listen. Bailey & Greer, PLLC can handle the complexities for you and make sure you are heard, respected, and compensated accordingly. We are proud to protect the rights of our clients who have been injured at a nursing home throughout Tennessee. Please call 901-475-7434 or fill out our contact form to schedule a no-obligation consultation at one of our law offices in Memphis or Jackson.
