Seattle Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Why Choose Us as Your Seattle Elder Abuse Lawyer

You need a law firm that combines compassionate advocacy with aggressive representation. Boohoff Law, P.A. dedicates its resources and experience to protecting the elderly and holding negligent facilities accountable. Asking should I get a lawyer is natural after discovering signs of abuse, and the answer is yes if you want a professional to gather evidence, manage deadlines, and fight for your loved one’s rights.

Our approach centers on your family’s well-being and the pursuit of maximum compensation for the harm your loved one endured. We have decades of combined experience and have recovered millions for our clients.

A Relentless Advocate for Your Loved One

Our legal team investigates every detail of a potential abuse or neglect claim. We know the tactics that facilities and their insurance carriers use to avoid responsibility. We prepare every case as if it is going to trial, giving us a position of strength during negotiations. 

Our aggressive preparation demonstrates to the opposition that we’re ready to fight for a just outcome.

Deep Roots in the Seattle Community

Our commitment extends throughout Seattle and the greater Puget Sound area. We represent families from neighborhoods like Capitol Hill and Ballard to West Seattle and Rainier Beach. Our team’s local knowledge gives us context for your case. 

We understand what’s at stake for your family, so we’ll meet you where you need us, at home or in the hospital, if you cannot come to us. 

A Focus on Your Family’s Recovery

A skilled Seattle nursing home abuse lawyer from Boohoff Law handles all communication with the facility and its insurers. We work to refine your case, turning complicated facts into a clear story of negligence. Let us carry the legal burden for you. 

Call us at (877) 999-9999 for your free consultation. You’re better off with Boohoff.

What Constitutes Negligence in a Long-Term Care Facility?

A nursing home or long-term care facility accepts a duty to provide residents with a specific standard of care. When the facility’s actions or inaction fall below this standard and cause harm, it constitutes negligence. 

Our attorneys concentrate on identifying these failures and linking them directly to your loved one’s injuries. The legal team at Boohoff Law works to identify specific breaches of this duty. We investigate the evidence to prove that the facility’s failure caused real harm.

Common examples of these failures include:

• Physical Abuse: A staff member intentionally strikes, shoves, or otherwise handles a resident in a physically aggressive manner that’s not accidental and is intended to cause harm or intimidation.
• Verbal and Emotional Abuse: Caregivers engage in humiliating, threatening, or intimidating language and behavior, such as yelling, insulting, or isolating a resident, leading to fear and psychological distress.
• Inadequate Staffing/Training: A facility fails to maintain sufficient staff to properly monitor, feed, and care for all residents. Staff members lack the proper training to handle residents with specific medical conditions, such as dementia or mobility issues.
• Medication Errors: A resident receives the wrong medication, an incorrect dosage, or fails to receive their prescribed medication at all.
• Failure To Maintain a Safe Environment: The facility allows hazards like wet floors, poor lighting, or faulty equipment to persist, leading to falls and other injuries.
• Improper Use of Restraints: The facility uses physical or chemical restraints for staff convenience or as a form of punishment.

Identifying the Signs of Abuse and Neglect in Seattle Nursing Homes

Residents in long-term care may not always be able to tell you that something is wrong. They may feel scared of retaliation or unable to communicate what they’re experiencing. As a family member, your observations are crucial in spotting the subtle and overt signs of mistreatment, and understanding how our lawyers handle these cases can give you confidence that every detail will be investigated and presented to hold the facility accountable.

Uncovering Physical Harm and Neglect

You know your loved one best and can recognize when an explanation for an injury doesn’t make sense. While seniors can be more susceptible to certain injuries, some types of harm strongly suggest neglect or direct abuse. 

Physical warning signs often include:

• Suspicious Injuries: You discover bruises, cuts, or other injuries that staff members cannot adequately explain, especially marks on the wrists or both sides of the body that could indicate force.
• Indicators of Neglect: The resident develops preventable conditions like bedsores or shows clear signs of inadequate care, such as poor hygiene, sudden weight loss, or dehydration.
• Medication Problems: Your loved one appears unusually drowsy or confused, which can signal that staff has administered the wrong drug, an incorrect dose, or missed doses entirely.

Observing Emotional and Behavioral Changes

The impact of abuse extends far beyond physical harm. Staff members can use intimidation, humiliation, or isolation to manipulate residents and inflict deep emotional wounds. You can often see the results through sudden, unexplained changes in your loved one’s personality and daily behavior.

Pay attention to fearful or anxious actions. A loved one who flinches when touched or becomes visibly agitated around a specific caregiver is sending a clear signal. You may also observe new, repetitive behaviors like rocking or mumbling, which can be attempts to cope with intense stress. 

Emotional abuse often causes a resident to withdraw from daily life. They may stop participating in social events, refuse to talk, or display classic signs of depression, such as a loss of appetite or altered sleep patterns. 

This retreat into themselves can be a defense against further harm and a sign that you need to investigate further.

Recognizing Financial Exploitation

Financial abuse is a calculated type of mistreatment that exploits a resident’s trust and vulnerability. This abuse can range from staff stealing personal items to coercing a resident into changing important legal documents. 

Since it leaves no physical mark, it can be difficult to detect without careful observation.

Common warning signs include:

• Missing Property: Valuables such as jewelry, cash, or personal electronics disappear from the resident’s room without a logical explanation.
• Unusual Transactions: You notice unexplained withdrawals, new credit card applications, or large, uncharacteristic purchases on bank statements.
• Altered Documents: Key legal documents like a will or power of attorney are suddenly changed without the resident’s full comprehension or consent.
• Sudden Unpaid Bills: You begin receiving notices for overdue bills from the facility or other creditors, even though the resident has sufficient funds to cover them.

Pursuing Compensation With a Seattle Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Washington law allows victims of nursing home negligence to seek compensation for a wide range of damages. This recovery is meant to cover both the economic and non-economic losses resulting from the abuse or neglect, and knowing how to hire a lawyer with experience in elder abuse cases can help you pursue the full compensation your loved one deserves.

A Seattle elder abuse attorney helps you document these damages thoroughly to build a comprehensive claim. We extract every detail of the harm done to build a case that reflects the total impact on your loved one’s life.

The available compensation may cover damages such as:

• Medical Expenses: This includes the cost of hospital stays, emergency room visits, doctors’ appointments, and any future medical care related to the injury.
• Pain and Suffering: We seek recovery for the physical pain and emotional distress your loved one endured as a result of the facility’s negligence.
• Disability or Disfigurement: Compensation can account for any permanent disability or scarring that impacts the resident’s quality of life.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life: If the injury prevents your loved one from participating in activities they once enjoyed, we seek damages for this significant loss.