You have reason to believe a loved one has been abused or neglected while staying at a nearby nursing home in Panthersville, GA. This suffering may have lasted months or even years. The abuse may have been verbal, physical, or both. In some cases, your loved one may have died due to the neglect shown by this nursing home.
If you believe somebody you love was physically or verbally abused, or has been neglected by nursing home staff of basic necessities such as food, water, or help to the bathroom, then don’t hesitate to reach out to the attorneys at Schenk Smith LLC.
If you aren’t ready to reach out, but would like to educate yourself on signs of abuse and any legal options you may have available to you, our website is a great place to start.
Why Sue a Nursing Home for Abuse?
A nursing home is legally obligated to provide safe and just living quarters for the elderly in its care, as many of these individuals cannot care for themselves. These obligations are enumerated by the nursing home’s own contract as well as by State and Federal law. If a Georgia nursing home fails to provide the necessary care and safety to its residents, it may be subject to legal action.
If a close relative or loved one has been abused or neglected by a nearby nursing home, it almost certainly means that the establishment was in breach of a legally binding contract. If this is the case, you have every right to sue that nursing home for damages.
While suing a nursing home cannot take back the suffering caused to the abused loved one, it can help you afford new living arrangements so that this never, ever happens again.
How Much Is a Nursing Home Case? Can I Afford It?
Nursing home cases are not as expensive as you might think. In fact, you may never have to touch your hard earned savings or go out of pocket to pay for it.
At Schenk Smith, we work on a contingency basis, meaning our fees and other expenses are only deducted if we win your case. While other attorneys may charge by the hour and force you to front the costs, we will never leave you on the hook like that.
After a court victory and the recovery of funds, we will deduct a small percent of those funds as our cost, along with costs associated with hiring medical specialists which helped win your case.
We Are Schenk Smith, Your Panthersville Nursing Home Lawyers
At Schenk Smith, our first priority is to ensure the abuse and neglect of your loved one stops immediately. Once we know your loved one is safe, we will begin the work of assessing the damages in medical costs and the costs of pain and suffering that your loved one was subjected to.
Now more than ever, you need a friend in the legal industry who will fight for your loved one and your family to ensure this never happens again. We are proud to provide free consultations for Georgia residents, and we believe in helping our clients educate themselves on what to expect, which is why we’ve published hundreds of articles to date on our website.
If you suspect your loved one has been abused or neglected by a nursing home, contact us right away for a free consultation. We serve all of Pantherville, including Exchange Park, Sugar Creek, and The Gallery areas. We’re just one call away and are more than happy to come to you.
Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect in Panthersville, Georgia- What you need to know.
Panthersville, Georgia is located in Dekalb County and has a population of 11,791 residents. Of those, 12% are aged 65 and older. Protecting this 12% of our community is our top priority.
Will the Nursing Home Take Revenge If I Report Their Abuse?
If you suspect that your loved one is being neglected or abused by nursing home staff, immediate action should be taken to protect them from any further suffering.
These are the facts:
- A nursing home that is under investigation for abusing your loved one is far less likely to continue the abusive behavior while watchful eyes are on them.
- Not taking action means your loved one could still be suffering from neglect and abuse. If the nursing home is not held accountable for their actions, those actions will only continue.
- Taking action into your own hands (writing letters of complaint to management or even being hostile to nursing staff) could make things worse for your loved one. At the end of the day, the nursing home fears legal repercussions more than it fears losing the rent paid by your loved one.
Nothing is more important to us than ensuring your loved one is protected from a vengeful nursing home staff. The best way to do this is to make the nursing home aware that an attorney is looking into their behavior. Only then will management take action against their staff’s behavior or make changes to their programs.
Falls in Nursing Homes—Who’s to Blame?
Nursing homes aren’t always responsible for every fall. But failing to take certain precautions—such as not performing resident risk assessments, or not maintaining state or federal safety standards—can absolutely leave a nursing home liable for a fall suffered by a loved one.
Regular risk assessments performed by a registered nurse for each resident is an important step to avoiding unnecessary falls. These assessments will review medications, age, gait/walking ability of the resident, signs of cognitive impairment, signs of visual impairment, or a history of past falls.
If these assessments are not performed on a regular basis, it could mean the nursing home is not taking the care of its residents seriously, leaving it potentially accountable for a loved one’s fall.
Additional precautions are related to general facility care and nurse education. If a nursing home shows one or more of the following:
- A lack of mats on the floor near the bedside
- Hospital beds which are difficult to get up and down on
- A lack of nurse supervision
- Resident rooms that are too far from the nurse’s station
- A lack of pressure alarms to alert staff of a fall
…then it could also mean that a nursing home may have been negligent in the fall of a loved one.
Where Can I Look at This Nursing Home’s Inspection Record?
If you are concerned about a particular nursing home, and would like to review details about past health inspections, staffing reputations, quality measures and other factors, than you have a number of tools at your disposal to do so.
Medicare.gov’s Nursing Home Compare helps you quickly find a nursing home’s inspection record based on surveys taken by trained government officials. It also lets you compare how one nursing home stacks up against others in your area.
Another option is the Healthcare Facility Regulation division of the Georgia Department of Community Health. The HFR is home to the Office of Facility Licensure, which is responsible for licensing and renewing licenses for over 15,000 healthcare facilities across Georgia, including nursing homes.
The HFR makes it easy to see the inspection records of any nursing home in the Panthersville area. Simply click here to visit the Georgia Department of Community Health, and then use their GaMap2Care tool to find and compare facilities.
If you are concerned about the reputation of a particular nursing home, and believe your loved one is being abused or neglected at this facility, don’t hesitate to contact Schenk Smith directly.
For a free legal consultation with a Nursing Home Abuse lawyer serving Panthersville, call
My loved one was hurt in a Panthersville nursing home- What do I do next?
If your loved one was severely injured or passed away at a Panthersville, Georgia nursing home, then we recommend that you act as soon as possible to protect your loved one’s rights.
First, report the incident to the appropriate Georgia authorities
Georgia Department of Community Health
The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) inspects all nursing homes in Panthersville, GA and all other municipalities across the state. The Healthcare Facility Regulation (HFR)—a division of the DCH—is tasked with investigating all complaints brought against nursing homes by residents and their loved ones.
You can file a complaint with the Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation online by clicking this link. Here is additional contact information:
Georgia Department of Community Health, Healthcare Facility Regulation
Complaint Hotline: (800) 878-6442
Complaint Fax: (404) 657-5731
Georgia Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman
In addition to the GCH, you can also file a complaint with the Georgia Office of the State Long-Term Ombudsman. Under the Ombudsman, trained state officials act as third party mediators between residents and nursing homes. They have been given legal authority to enter Georgia nursing homes and ask questions pertaining to the safety and care of its residents.
You can file a complaint with the Georgia Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman online by clicking on this link. Here is additional contact information:
Western Region –Georgia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
1743 Hardin Avenue
College Park, GA 30337-2059
Telephone: (678) 378-2934
Fax: (404) 768-8512
You may report physical assault or abuse to local law enforcement
If you believe your loved one was assaulted or even killed by a staff member of a nursing home, you may absolutely choose to file a police report. Criminal charges can be brought against any Georgia nursing home by contacting the District Attorney’s Office Stone Mountain Judicial District.
Abuse by any nursing home in Panthersville, GA should be reported to the DeKalb County Police Department or to the DeKalb County Sheriff.
DeKalb County Police Department
1816 Candler Road
Decatur, GA 30032
Telephone: (404) 286-7900
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
4415 Memorial Dr.
Decatur, GA, 30032
Telephone: (404) 298-8100
Stone Mountain Judicial District DA’s Office
556 N McDonough St, Ste 700
Decatur, GA, 30030
Telephone: (404) 371-2561
Find another facility for your loved one.
Very often, your loved one will need your help to escape a situation of elder abuse or neglect at their current nursing home or long-term care facility. We highly recommend you begin the process of looking at other homes in the Panthersville area, even if you are not quite ready to move your loved one out of the abusive facility.
Medicare.gov provides a useful tool for reviewing nursing homes in your area. These homes have been reviewed by state officials and allow you to compare up to three nursing homes at the same time.
Click here to go to the Nursing Home Compare Website.
Also for your convenience, a list of all nursing homes located within Panthersville, Georgia is located below, along with their contact information and inspection scores.
Get the medical records from the hospital and the nursing home.
One of the very first actions you should take upon becoming aware of the possible abuse or neglect of your loved one is to get any and all medical records from the hospital or nursing home.
Medical documents are your first line of defense against the lies and threats from nursing home management. Without these medical records, it will be difficult to prove to a judge or jury that the injuries or pain caused to the loved one was done on purpose or through extreme negligence.
Do not expect the nursing home to be of much help in this regard. Their first impulse will likely be to ignore you or delay the acquisition of these critical medical documents.
If your loved one was injured in a Panthersville nursing home, a hospital in the nearby area may have the proper medical records. Make sure to bring documents proving power of attorney or some other proof of consent to view your loved one’s medical records, otherwise you will be turned away.
Hospitals you may wish to contact include:
Begin the probate process if your loved one has passed away.
Your loved one has passed while in the care of a nursing home in Panthersville, GA. But you are concerned that death was wrongful and likely caused by abuse, neglect, or a combination of both. Even though your loved one is no longer here to speak for themselves, you still have the opportunity to seek justice in their name.
The first step toward a just outcome is to contact one of Georgia’s probate courts. A probate court will allow you to set up an estate and appoint an Executor or Administrator to manage its affairs. This is required in order to bring a lawsuit against a person or business that caused the wrongful death of your loved one.
You can find information about the probate court of DeKalb County below. If you have any questions about the process, don’t hesitate to contact Schenk Smith LLC for a free consultation.
Click here for the Probate Court of DeKalb County
DeKalb County Probate Court
445 N. McDonough St
Decatur, GA 30030
Panthersville Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me (678) 823-7678
Nursing Homes in Panthersville, Georgia
We want to make finding a new nursing home as easy as possible for you and your loved one. This information is taken from our CMS’ Nursing Home Compare Website.
| Traditions Health and Rehabilitation
2816 Evans Mill Road Lithonia, GA 30058 |
Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 (Much Below Average)
Number of Beds: 182 Number of Residents: 168 RN hours per resident per day: 24min (GA Avg: 34min) |
| Health Inspection Rating: 1 out of 5 (Much Below Average)
Staff Rating: 2 out of 5 (Much Below Average) Quality Measure Rating: 4 out of 5 (Above Average) Most Recent Health Inspection Date: 12-15-2017 Number of Health Citations: 0 Average Number of Health Citations in Georgia: 3.2 Number of Complaints in previous 3 years resulting in citation: 16 Federal fines in previous 3 years: 1 ($6,500 on 12-06-2017) |
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| Pebblebrook Health Center at Park Springs
5610 New Bermuda Road Stone Mountain, GA 30087 |
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 (Above Average)
Number of Beds: 60 Number of Residents: 43 RN hours per resident per day: 44min (GA Avg: 34min) |
| Health Inspection Rating: 3 out of 5 (Average)
Staff Rating: 4 out of 5 (Above Average) Quality Measure Rating: 4 out of 5 (Above Average) Most Recent Health Inspection Date: 08-26-2017 Number of Health Citations: 3 Average Number of Health Citations in Georgia: 3.2 Number of Complaints in previous 3 years resulting in citation: 0 Federal fines in previous 3 years: 1 ($6,529 on 08/26/2017) |
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Why Choose Schenk Smith as your Nursing Home Lawyers?
Rob Schenk has served Georgia’s elderly community and their families honorably since 2013, helping them collect tens of millions of dollars in settlement cash from abusive and neglectful nursing homes across the state of Georgia.
We understand how important it is to have somebody in your corner advocating for your loved one. We believe all suspicions of abuse should be looked into, and that action is necessary to ensure the abuse or neglect does not go on for even one day longer.
We have deep roots in Georgia’s nursing home community—Schenk Firm was a nursing home CNA for over a decade—and we are confident we can bring a just and fair ending to this frustrating and fearful period of your loved one’s life.
If your loved one was injured or died in a Panthersville, Georgia nursing home, please call us at Schenk Smith (678) 823-7678 for a free consultation. You can also check out hundreds of video FAQs on our website.