Placing a loved one in a nursing home also means placing immense trust in that business to treat your loved one with dignity and respect. When that trust is broken, and your loved one suffers harm, the negligent party should face accountability.
The dedicated nursing home neglect attorneys at Talley, Turner, Stice & Bertman proudly protect the rights of vulnerable Oklahomans and their families when nursing home staff and administration fail them. Our law firm will stand up for you and fight to hold the at-fault party accountable while you focus on your family. Contact us today to speak with a nursing home neglect attorney serving Oklahoma City, Norman, and beyond.
Nursing home neglect occurs when a facility or caregiver fails to provide the care that state and federal standards require. Both Oklahoma regulations and federal nursing home rules require facilities to maintain adequate staffing, follow care plans, prevent avoidable injuries, and protect residents from harm. When they fail to meet those requirements, they may face accountability in a personal injury claim.
Neglect differs from abuse in a few ways:
Facilities may commit neglect in many ways, including:
Neglect cases often develop over time. For example, a resident may experience repeated dehydration or ignored infections due to understaffing issues or poorly trained staff. One instance of this may not rise to negligence in a legal sense, but a continued pattern can.
Families often see obvious injuries and assume they automatically prove negligence. However, in reality these cases require in-depth investigation to uncover the truth and establish liability. Some complicating factors related to nursing home neglect cases include:
Doctors, nurses, staff, and administrators must follow each resident’s individualized care plan. To determine whether the care provided failed to meet accepted standards, lawyers must carefully construct a timeline, review records, and work alongside medical experts.
Many facilities operate with minimal staff to reduce labor costs. Fewer nurses and aides often lead to rushed care and preventable harm. To identify this neglect, attorneys must obtain staffing schedules and analyze internal policies.
Pressure ulcers, malnutrition, dehydration, and infection develop over days or weeks. Facilities may argue that a condition resulted from age or illness, and disproving that requires clear proof that staff ignored early warning signs and failed to intervene.
The at-fault party in these cases often possesses the most critical evidence. Facilities can potentially alter or add documentation after an injury occurs to avoid liability. Nursing home neglect lawyers must carefully analyze metadata and compare records to identify inconsistencies and uncover the truth.
Many nursing homes operate under complicated corporate structures. For example, one entity might own the building while another manages operations and a third employs staff. This allows corporate owners to shield themselves from liability. A dedicated law firm must exercise diligence when identifying responsible parties and building cases against them.
Families often sense that something feels wrong before they identify a specific issue. The following warning signs may indicate systemic neglect:
These signs rarely represent isolated incidents. They often reflect ongoing issues like staffing shortages or weak supervision that cause significant distress to nursing home residents. If you observe one or more of these red flags, contact a nursing home neglect lawyer right away.
Both facilities and their insurance carriers have the knowledge and resources to avoid liability in neglect cases. Families who pursue a claim independently put themselves at a significant disadvantage.
Consider the following risks of pursuing a claim without a reputable lawyer:
At Talley, Turner, Stice & Bertman, our Norman-based attorneys approach nursing home neglect cases with the urgency and compassion they deserve. Here’s how our team will handle your case:
Families often act in good faith but unintentionally weaken their claims. Avoid these common mistakes:
When you pursue a nursing home neglect claim in Oklahoma City, you can expect the following steps:
Nursing home neglect includes any failure to provide required care under Oklahoma and federal standards. Examples include missed medications, preventable falls, dehydration, and untreated infections.
Yes. Neglect involves failure to provide proper care, while abuse involves intentional harm. Both violate the law and both justify legal action.
Under Oklahoma law, you typically have two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. In nursing home neglect cases, determining the filing deadline can be complicated. Speak with an attorney right away to protect your rights.
If your loved one suffered injuries due to nursing home neglect, you need a skilled attorney to protect your rights. The team at Talley, Turner, Stice & Bertman will fight to hold the at-fault party accountable and recover fair compensation for the harm they caused. Based in Norman, we’re proud to serve clients in Oklahoma City beyond. Contact us today for your free consultation.
