Philadelphia
Nursing Home Abuse
Highly Skilled PA Malpractice Lawyer
Bedsores · Wrongful Death · Medication Errors · Nursing Home Falls
Serving all of New Jersey & Pennsylvania including the Philly Suburbs
Elder Abuse & Nursing Home Neglect
Understanding
Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect
Certain nursing homes in Philadelphia and the Philadelphia County continuously fail to provide quality care to their residents and, as a consequence, avoidable injuries occur. You need to understand your loved one’s rights and how to avoid nursing home neglect and abuse in Philadelphia.
If you believe your loved one may have suffered nursing home neglect or abuse at a Philadelphia or Philadelphia County-area nursing home, you should immediately speak with Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Brian P. Murphy to learn about your loved one’s rights.
Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Brian P. Murphy
For decades, Attorney Brian P. Murphy has devoted his legal career to asserting the rights of elderly and vulnerable nursing home residents. Mr. Murphy has litigated many cases of nursing home abuse and/or neglect. He knows precisely how to hold nursing homes accountable for injuries that occur at their facilities as a result of neglect and abuse.
Signs of Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
- Falls
- Fractures
- Bed sores / pressure ulcers
- Bruises
- Cuts / wounds
- Burns
- Over medication
- Poor hygiene
- Psychological abuse
- Unexplained injuries
- Sudden unexpected health decline
- Lacerations
The above injuries/incidents are all common signs of nursing home neglect and abuse. Contact Attorney Brian P. Murphy for a free, one-on-one detailed consultation about your concerns.
Causes of
Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Many Philadelphia and Philadelphia County nursing homes are for-profit entities. Some nursing home corporate owners are more focused on increasing profits than on providing proper care to Philadelphia nursing home residents. As a result, staffing levels at their Philadelphia nursing homes are kept at dangerously low levels which many times leads to neglect and/or abuse.
In and around New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Philly, you will find varying types of abuse in nursing homes. They are not limited to physical abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse/theft, and sexual abuse. Each type of nursing home abuse is different and each has its own signs and symptoms.
Common Types of Abuse
Physical Abuse
When a long-term care center employee, nursing home staff member, or another nursing home resident uses physical force (intentionally) against a nursing home resident, physical abuse occurs. Common examples include pushing, punching, kicking, choking, slapping, scratching, and hair pulling.
Improper use of resident restraints such as bed rails, wheelchair seat belts, or drugs may also be a form of physical abuse. Symptoms of physical abuse of a nursing home resident include, but are not limited to the following:
- unexplained cuts or bruises
- skin burns or scratches
- unexplained bone fractures
- uncharacteristic behavior such as depression, anger, distress, and violence
Psychological Abuse
Psychological abuse happens when a nursing home staff member, long-term care center employee, or another nursing home resident says or does something through verbal or nonverbal acts that inflicts anguish, fear, humiliation, or distress on a nursing home resident.
Psychological abuse can take many forms, including but not limited to:
- coercion
- threats
- yelling
- belittling
- isolation
Signs of psychological abuse may include:
- agitation
- distress
- depression
- non-responsiveness
- uncharacteristic violence
“On behalf of my sister and myself, thank you for all you and your staff have done in our mother’s honor. The dedication and level of professionalism exhibited by you and your team in a word is…. unmatched.“
Darryl W.
Financial Abuse / Theft
Financial abuse/theft occurs when a long-term care center employee, nursing home staff member, or another resident improperly or illegally acquires a resident’s money, property, and/or possessions for personal gain.
Signs of financial abuse/theft include:
- missing money
- depleted bank accounts
- missing personal items, including:
- clothing
- shoes
- cell phones
- jewelry
- books
- knickknacks
- picture frames
- and other personal possessions
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse occurs whenever there is any type of non-consensual sexual contact between a nursing home resident and the nursing home/long-term care center staff or another nursing home resident. Examples of sexual abuse include unwanted or inappropriate touching, sodomy, sexually explicit photography, rape, and sexual harassment.
Symptoms of sexual abuse include:
- bruises or scratches in a resident’s genital area, including a female resident’s breasts
- severe depression, and/or significant, unexplained fear or anxiety
- unexplained bleeding
- uncharacteristic behavioral changes
Staff-on-Resident Abuse
Nursing home abuse can take the form of staff-on-resident abuse. This situation arises because residents, unfortunately, are left in the care of individuals who are overworked, underpaid, and ill-equipped to care for the needs of the residents. Inevitably, staff frustrations arise and, during those moments, abuse of nursing home residents occurs. Any abusive behavior by a staff member is intolerable and inexcusable. It is also in violation of federal and state laws including those in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
Resident-on-Resident Abuse
Abuse in nursing homes can also be among residents. Resident-on-resident abuse often results from the staff’s failure to separate and keep safe residents from other nursing home residents with known proclivities for violence. This neglect to keep them separated may be a failure by the nursing home to properly assess and/or supervise residents. The would be considered nursing home neglect. Federal, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey laws and regulations require all residents be properly assessed and supervised to ensure not only their own safety but also the safety of others around them.
Philadelphia Assisted-Living Facilities and Hospitals
In addition to nursing homes, Attorney Brian P. Murphy investigates claims of neglect and abuse in Philadelphia and Philadelphia County hospitals and assisted living facilities. If you suspect you or your loved one has suffered abuse or neglect at a Philadelphia or Philadelphia County area hospital or assisted-living facility, contact Attorney Murphy for a free, one-on-one consultation.
Contact a Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Brian P. Murphy is an experienced and well-regarded Philadelphia nursing home abuse attorney, serving all of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia and the Philly suburbs of Bucks County, Montgomery County, Delaware and Chester counties. He has successfully represented many elderly nursing home residents subjected to abuse and neglect, consistently winning favorable settlements.
Abuse and neglect in nursing homes is a complicated area of the law—requiring the expertise of an experienced nursing home attorney to answer your questions and offer you guidance in moving forward. Attorney Murphy has been filing lawsuits against New Jersey nursing homes since 2006 and Pennsylvania nursing homes (including Philadelphia) since 2010. Mr. Murphy knows which questions will get directly to the issues you are concerned about. He is wholly familiar with all the signs and symptoms of nursing home injuries, including abuse and neglect. He can help you identify and put a stop to your loved one’s suffering. See what Mr. Murphy’s prior clients have to say about him.
In Pennsylvania, Mr. Murphy files nursing home lawsuits from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. He also files suits throughout New Jersey. Mr. Murphy has been very successful in litigating claims against PA and NJ nursing homes and earned millions of dollars in compensation for his clients.
If you see signs of nursing home neglect and/or abuse, please schedule one of the firm’s free consultations today. Contact Philadelphia Nursing Home Abuse Attorney, Brian P. Murphy, to discuss your potential legal matter.
Legal matters are billed on a contingency fee basis. All nursing home lawsuits (Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and New Jersey) are personally handled by Brian P. Murphy.
This website is owned by The Law Firm of Brian P. Murphy, PC. Its purpose is to assist you in understanding your rights, especially when it comes to preventing or protecting yourself and/or your loved ones against nursing home failures, such as abuse, neglect, bedsores, dehydration, malnutrition, malpractice, and wrongful death.
Nothing on this website is to be construed as attorney advice or otherwise creating an attorney-client relationship. If you may be interested in establishing a relationship with The Law Firm of Brian P. Murphy, PC, please contact us to discuss your options.