Manhattan Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 6 people aged 60 or older have suffered from some form of abuse in community settings. Even more disturbing, more than 60% of nursing home and long-term care facility staff have admitted to committing some type of abuse.

If you or your loved one has suffered abuse by nursing home staff, know that the law is on your side to pursue justice and financial compensation. The Manhattan nursing home abuse lawyers at Dalli & Marino can help you file a claim to hold abusers accountable for their actions and recover a settlement for the damage they have caused. Don’t hesitate to get legal help as soon as possible.

Click here to schedule a confidential consultation or call our office at 718-587-0136.

Types of Abuse in Nursing Homes

While most people think of nursing home abuse as some form of violent act, the truth is that abuse comes in many forms. It’s important to understand the different ways abuse can manifest within a nursing home:

• Physical Abuse. Physical abuse often involves striking, pinching, burning, shoving, restraining, and other forms of rough treatment.
• Verbal Abuse. Verbal abuse typically manifests as threats, disrespect, humiliation, and other uses of language meant to degrade a person and cause psychological distress.
• Sexual Abuse. Sexual abuse may involve indecent exposure, unwanted touching, and rape.
• Financial Abuse. Financial abuse occurs when nursing home staff take advantage of a victim’s finances through fraud, theft, or unauthorized access.

How to Recognize Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

Abuse can be hard to spot, especially if you don’t know exactly what to look for. Each type of abuse often has certain warning signs:

• Physical Injuries. Check your loved one for any unexplained injuries. Are there bed sores, bruises, burns, lacerations, or other indications of physical harm? This is usually a sign of abuse.
• Emotional Changes. Has your loved one experienced a sudden mood change? This can include feeling depressed, anxious, or withdrawn. These types of unexpected changes can indicate potential abuse.
• Behavioral Changes. Similar to emotional changes, sudden behavioral changes, such as eating less or picking up new habits like rocking or biting, can signal abuse.
• Poor Living Conditions. Does your loved one’s room appear run-down? Is there a lack of heat, running water, clean sheets, or hygienic facilities? Poor living conditions are strong evidence of neglect.
• Financial Changes. Have you noticed overdue bills piling up, new credit cards being opened under your loved one’s name, overdraft notices, or generally unusual bank activity? This is a common indicator that someone is taking advantage of your loved one financially.

Keep in mind that these warning signs are not all-encompassing. If something seems suspicious, don’t wait to get in touch with a lawyer. Document and keep records of all potential signs of abuse and prioritize the well-being and safety of your loved one as soon as possible.

Why Does Elder Abuse Happen in Manhattan Nursing Homes?

Abuse in nursing homes can happen for all kinds of reasons. Older adults are often seen as easier to threaten and manipulate, and in some cases, they may hold significant life savings, all of which make them a prime target for malicious individuals. However, in many cases, abuse can be attributed to understaffing, lack of training, and overall lack of care from nursing home employees. In fact, more than 400 nursing homes across New York have received citations for minimum staffing violations.

How Can a Manhattan Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Help?

Discovering that a loved one may have been abused in a nursing home can feel overwhelming, and getting to the truth can be difficult. Nursing homes control the records, employ the staff involved, and often deny any wrongdoing. Families do not need to handle the situation alone. A Manhattan nursing home abuse lawyer can help by:

• Conducting a comprehensive investigation and uncovering evidence that may not be immediately available to families.
• Obtaining and preserving key records, including medical records, care plans, incident reports, staffing records, and witness statements.
• Identifying everyone who may be legally responsible, whether that is the nursing home, its management company, or individual employees.
• Handling communications with the nursing home and its insurance company so you don’t have to navigate the process alone.
• Calculating the full extent of your damages and pursuing compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial harm caused by the abuse.
• Representing you in court if necessary when the responsible parties refuse to offer a fair settlement.

Who Is Liable for Abuse That Occurs in a Nursing Home in Manhattan?

Determining who is legally responsible for nursing home abuse is not always as straightforward as identifying the person who caused the harm. While an individual employee may have committed the abuse, multiple parties may share legal responsibility depending on the circumstances.

Potentially liable parties include:

• The nursing home. Nursing homes have a legal duty to protect residents from abuse and provide a safe environment. A facility may be held responsible if it failed to properly hire, train, supervise, or monitor its employees or ignored warning signs that abuse was occurring.
• Individual staff members. Nurses, aides, administrators, or other employees who commit acts of abuse may be held personally accountable for the harm they cause.
• Management or ownership companies. Many Manhattan nursing homes are owned or operated by larger corporate entities. If those companies contributed to unsafe conditions through inadequate staffing, poor policies, or other systemic failures, they may also be responsible.
• Third-party providers. In some cases, outside contractors, healthcare providers, or other professionals working within the facility may share responsibility if their actions contributed to the abuse.

Identifying every responsible party is an important part of building a strong case and pursuing the full compensation available.

What Compensation Can You Recover in a Manhattan Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit?

The impact of nursing home abuse often extends far beyond the initial incident. Victims may require additional medical treatment, ongoing care, or relocation to another facility, while families are left dealing with the emotional and financial consequences of the abuse.

Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be able to recover compensation for:

• Medical expenses related to diagnosing and treating injuries caused by the abuse.
• Future medical care if your loved one requires ongoing treatment or rehabilitation.
• Pain and suffering resulting from the physical pain and emotional trauma caused by the abuse.
• Emotional distress experienced by the victim because of the abuse.
• Relocation costs associated with transferring your loved one to a safer nursing home or long-term care facility.
• Wrongful death damages if the abuse ultimately resulted in the loss of your loved one.

Every case is different, and the value of a claim depends on factors such as the severity of the abuse, the available evidence, and the long-term impact on the victim.

Nursing Homes and Rehabilitation Centers in Manhattan

Manhattan is home to numerous skilled nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, and long-term care homes serving older adults throughout New York City. While many provide quality care, abuse can occur in any facility when residents are not properly protected. Dalli & Marino represents families throughout Manhattan and investigates allegations of nursing home abuse involving facilities across the borough.

Some of Manhattan’s nursing homes and rehabilitation centers include:

• The New Jewish Home, Manhattan — 120 West 106th Street, New York, NY 10025
• Northern Manhattan Rehabilitation & Nursing Center — 116 East 125th Street, New York, NY 10035
• Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center — 1249 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029
• VillageCare Rehabilitation & Nursing Center — 214 West Houston Street, New York, NY 10014
• Upper East Side Rehabilitation & Nursing Center — 211 East 79th Street, New York, NY 10075
• West Seventy-Fourth Street Home — 300 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10023
• Isabella Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing Care (Manhattan Campus) — 515 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY 10040

If your loved one was abused in one of these facilities or another nursing home in Manhattan, our law firm can investigate what happened, identify those responsible, and help your family understand its legal options.