Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Rio Rancho, NM
Nursing homes in New Mexico are entrusted with our aging and disabled family members. When nursing homes abuse this trust and cause residents to suffer needlessly, they have to be held accountable. Our Rio Rancho nursing home abuse lawyers can help you and your family take a stand and work toward a meaningful financial recovery.
Quick Links
- Why You Should Call Levin & Perconti if a Family Member Has Been Abused at a Rio Rancho Nursing Home
- Rio Rancho/Sandoval County Nursing Homes
- We Handle All Different Types of Nursing Home Abuse Cases in Rio Rancho
- What signs of nursing home abuse should I look out for?
- What should I do if I suspect a resident is being abused at a Rio Rancho nursing home?
- How do I report nursing home abuse in Rio Rancho?
- What damages can be awarded in a Rio Rancho nursing home lawsuit?
- Trusted Rio Rancho Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Ready To Fight for You
Nursing homes and caretakers must be held accountable when residents are abused or neglected. If your family member lives in a Rio Rancho, New Mexico nursing home and has suffered abuse, Levin & Perconti can help you fight to make things right. Our New Mexico elder abuse lawyers can help you take a stand and demand maximum compensation for your loved one’s suffering.
Since our founding in 1992, our nationally acclaimed trial attorneys have proven time and again that nursing homes are not above the law. We have helped our clients make their abuse and their abusers known—recovering millions of dollars and protecting others in the process.
Nursing homes can be powerful. Don’t let them walk away without consequence. Call our law office serving Rio Rancho and Sandoval County to get our top-rated New Mexico litigators on the case. We offer a free initial case evaluation, so contact us for help today.
Why You Should Call Levin & Perconti if a Family Member Has Been Abused at a Rio Rancho Nursing Home
Nursing homes won’t readily admit that a resident has been abused or neglected. They might even try to cover up the abuse or blame the resident for their injuries. If you want to hold the nursing home accountable and win your nursing home abuse case, you need the strength, support, and resources of a Rio Rancho personal injury lawyer.
At Levin & Perconti, we understand that this is your single opportunity to shed light on your family member’s abusive care and recover compensation to cover the costs of medical treatment, disability, and reduced quality of life. Our team is ready to do whatever we can to make the most of your legal claim.
You will benefit from a legal team that is compassionate and supportive, while also tenacious and relentless when it comes to proving the nursing home’s abusive ways. Spend time with your loved one. Help them recover. We will handle everything else:
- Reporting the abuse to the local authorities and the New Mexico Department of Health
- Coordinating an independent investigation into the allegations of abuse and/or neglect
- Gathering evidence to prove that your family member has been abused or neglected
- Determining if the abuse is isolated or if proof shows it is more widespread
- Working closely with medical specialists, elder care professionals, forensic specialists, and other experts throughout the process
- Taking charge during negotiations to get your family member the best possible settlement offer
- Rejecting insulting offers and litigating your nursing home abuse lawsuit at trial, if appropriate
Nursing homes have considerable resources at their disposal. Put yourself on a level playing field—and give yourself an edge—by enlisting our nursing home abuse attorneys in Rio Rancho for help.
Rio Rancho/Sandoval County Nursing Homes
At Levin & Perconti, we represent clients who have been abused or mistreated at nursing homes in Rio Rancho and throughout Sandoval County, including:
- The Suites Rio Vista
- Rio Rancho Center
- Rio Rancho Care and Rehabilitation Center
- The Rio at Cabezon
- Fairwinds—Rio Rancho
- MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care of Rio Rancho
- Avamere at Rio Rancho
- Life Spire
- The Retreat and Retreat Gardens
- Advantage Assisted Living
Many of these facilities have reported instances of abuse and subpar treatment of the residents in their care. If your loved one has been abused or neglected at one of these or another long-term care facility in Rio Rancho, call our law firm for assistance today.
We Handle All Different Types of Nursing Home Abuse Cases in Rio Rancho
Nursing home abuse refers to a caretaker’s mistreatment of a nursing home resident that causes physical, emotional, and/or financial trauma. Abuse can take several forms, including:
Our nursing home abuse lawyers in Rio Rancho have extensive experience representing families whose loved ones have endured these types of mistreatment.
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse occurs when a caretaker makes or causes a resident to suffer harmful or offensive physical contact. Some common examples include:
- Hitting
- Pushing
- Pulling hair
- Shoving
- Using excessive restraints
Victims of physical nursing home abuse might exhibit physical wounds, bruises, cuts and lacerations, broken bones, or signs of severe emotional distress.
Sexual Abuse
Unfortunately, some nursing home residents are subjected to unwanted and forcible sexual contact. This might involve a caretaker and a resident or forced sexual contact between residents. Examples include:
- Rape
- Sodomy
- Molestation
- Petting
- Forcing a resident to watch sexual acts
Residents who are sexually abused in a nursing home may develop signs of emotional distress or health issues, including STDs.
Psychological Abuse
Emotional abuse is a reality for many nursing home residents, where caretakers treat them in a way that causes them to experience psychological trauma and emotional distress. Examples of psychological abuse can include:
- Making fun of a resident in front of others
- Excluding or preventing a resident from participating in community activities
- Isolation and abandonment
- Threats of physical harm
- Withholding food or medication
- Preventing a resident from seeing family
Residents who are emotionally abused may appear to be scared of their caretakers, begin to withdraw from their typical activities, and exhibit signs of depression.
Financial Abuse
Nursing home residents are often targets for fraud and financial crimes. In some situations, the facility or its caretakers are responsible for this type of abuse. Financial abuse might include:
- Identity theft
- Credit card fraud
- Misappropriating resident funds
- Convincing a resident to “invest” in a fraudulent cause
It is important to keep a close eye on your family member’s finances if they are in a nursing home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Neglect
Residents don’t have to be physically assaulted, belittled, or threatened to be abused. Neglect is also a form of abuse. When residents don’t receive the level of care they need, their health and overall wellness can decline. Some examples of neglect in nursing homes include:
- Not helping a resident perform daily activities like showering or toileting
- Leaving a resident—particularly a bedridden or wheelchair-bound one—alone for long periods, which can cause pressure ulcers and bedsores
- Failing to get a resident timely and appropriate medical care
- Failing to provide a resident with necessary food, water, or medication
Sometimes, residents may experience one or more types of abuse while living in a Rio Rancho long-term care facility.
What signs of nursing home abuse should I look out for?
Signs of nursing home abuse will vary depending on the way(s) in which a resident is being mistreated. However, some common signs of nursing home abuse include:
- Unexplained changes in weight or overall health
- Unexplained injuries or illnesses
- Increased instances of falls
- Bedsores
- Changes in their emotional state
- Fearfulness
- Depression and anxiety
- Reluctance to speak with or see family
- Self-isolation
- Unusual financial transactions
It is important to stay in regular contact with your family member while they live in a nursing home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. You will most likely be the one who notices that something has changed or that something is “off.”
What should I do if I suspect a resident is being abused at a Rio Rancho nursing home?
If you suspect that a resident is being abused at a nursing facility in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, it is important to:
- Discuss the suspected abuse with the resident—let them know you are there for them and that they are safe
- Begin to document the signs and symptoms of the suspected abuse
- Notify the local authorities if you believe that your family member is in imminent danger
- Speak directly with your loved one’s caretakers, and determine if any reasonable explanation exists for the changes you have noticed
- Address your concerns with the nursing home administration—they can get mitigate problems and help your family member get the care they need
- Report the abuse to the New Mexico Department of Health
- As soon as an injury occurs, contact a New Mexico nursing home attorney
You can always reach out to our experienced New Mexico nursing home abuse attorneys to learn more about your legal rights and options. We are here to provide the help and guidance you need 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
How do I report nursing home abuse in Rio Rancho?
Complaints concerning nursing home abuse are handled by the New Mexico Department of Health’s Division of Health Improvement.
Family members and concerned friends can report abuse online, by mail, or by fax:
- Phone: Call 1-800-752-8649 to report abuse, neglect, or exploitation
- Mail: Submit the Health Facility Consumer Complaint Form and mail it to DHI Complaints Unit, P.O. Box 26110, Santa Fe, NM 87505
- FAX: Fax the complaint form to 888-576-0012
Individuals who work in nursing homes can also report known acts of abuse or neglect online.
What damages can be awarded in a Rio Rancho nursing home lawsuit?
It can be traumatic when a family member is abused by the nursing home you trusted to keep them safe. In these situations, you can take action and fight to hold them legally responsible for the injuries, suffering, and trauma they have caused. Damages that can potentially be awarded in a Rio Rancho nursing home abuse lawsuit include:
- Medical bills
- Rehabilitation
- Therapy
- The cost of transferring to a new nursing facility
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disfigurement
- Reduced quality of life
- Funeral costs if nursing home abuse results in a family member’s wrongful death
Punitive damages might also be available if convincing evidence proves that the facility intentionally harmed your family member or if its conduct was grossly negligent.
Trusted Rio Rancho Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Ready To Fight for You
You trusted the nursing home to keep your family member safe. Now they are struggling with the all-too-real consequences of abuse and/or neglect. The nursing facility cannot be allowed to get away with its reprehensible actions. Our Rio Rancho nursing home abuse lawyers are here to help you make things right.
While money might not take away your loved one’s pain or undo the abuse they endured, it can help offset the costs you have experienced. It can also help change policies and protect others from similar mistreatment.
Put an award-winning legal team with decades of experience on the case. At Levin & Perconti, we will do everything we can to make the days, weeks, and months ahead easier. We offer a free consultation and work on contingency, so call our law office serving Rio Rancho, New Mexico for assistance today.
Legally Reviewed by
Steven M. Levin
Contact Us
- Free Consultation
- (312) 332-2872
Notable Results
VERDICT
on behalf of an 85-year-old woman injured in a nursing home when her medications were mismanaged.
VERDICT
for the estate of a 67-year-old man who died from complications related to a fall
SETTLEMENT
for a 59-year-old resident who developed multiple painful and infected bedsores which took four years to heal.
