Neglect of Basic Needs | Harlingen Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer

Do you believe that a loved one has been a victim of Harlingen nursing home negligence? You are likely facing potential medical bills and rehoming costs, and wondering how you and your family will recover, both financially and emotionally. Fortunately, help is available. Contact Carabin Shaw’s Harlingen office today at 956-664-7255 to begin your legal process and your recovery.

As we age, mobility issues and cognitive issues alike impact our ability to keep up with our own basic needs. Once an elderly relative becomes unable to adequately and consistently take proper care of themselves, we entrust them to a nursing home with the expectation that their basic needs will be taken care of for them. This is the primary purpose of a nursing home: to provide around-the-clock care and attention for those who cannot take care of themselves, even in the most basic ways. Failure to do so on the part of the nursing home is negligent, dangerous, and illegal. If any of the following cases sound similar to what your relative is experiencing, look into Harlingen elder neglect lawyers to help you with a potential lawsuit.

First, ensure that your relative’s hygiene is being properly taken care of. Mobility and cognitive issues can make it difficult for your relative to wash themselves, brush their teeth, and perform other basic hygienic tasks. It is the nursing home’s responsibility to ensure that elderly residents have all the help they need in these areas. Failure to do so could lead to disease and infection, especially if your relative has a weakened immune system. Failure to provide proper hygiene for residents is a form of neglect, and is legally actionable. Contact a Harlingen nursing home negligence lawyer if you notice that your relative’s hygiene is lacking.

Nursing homes are also responsible for ensuring that your relative’s living space is sanitary. Unwashed sheets, unsanitized bathrooms, and other such failures to maintain a clean living environment can also lead to diseases and infection. Failure to maintain a tidy living environment also presents the risk of slip-and-fall accidents. If your relative’s living area seems dirty or disorganized, alert the nursing home staff; if the problem persists, look into Harlingen elder neglect lawyers for a potential lawsuit.

Nursing home negligence is an unfortunately common problem in Texas. In 2017, the Austin Chronicle reported that a full quarter of Texas’ nursing homes have been found to be deficient in the care they provide. Nursing homes have been found neglecting patients in need of a change of clothes, abruptly stopping scheduled medication, and performing many other harmful and negligent acts. It is a pervasive problem in our state, and one that deserves to be addressed legally.

For this reason, you will find no shortage of attorneys claiming to specialize in cases of Harlingen nursing home negligence. However, you should be selective when choosing a lawyer. Consider the formidable legal challenge that they will be up against: nursing homes often retain corporate lawyers specifically to defend themselves in cases such as yours, and nursing homes have enjoyed many state-level legal protections until very recently.

Therefore, you should prioritize an attorney with experience, who specializes in cases similar to yours and has a record of dedication to their clients. Your representation should be knowledgeable enough in nursing home negligence law to know how much you are owed and the best way to pursue that compensation.

Carabin Shaw can provide you with that experience and knowledge. Our lawyers have several years of combined experience with cases like yours, and are devoted to serving our clients. We represent individuals, rather than corporations, and are only interested in helping you recover financially from harm done. Call our Harlingen office today at 956-664-7255 to get started.