Report Nursing Home Abuse

How to Report Nursing Home Abuse

Reporting physical abuse in nursing homes is key to preventing it from happening, not only to your loved one but to other residents of the assisted living facility. You do not need definitive proof that nursing home abuse is happening in order to report it.

Here is how you can report nursing home abuse:

• Call 911 if you, a loved one, or another senior is in life-threatening danger.
• Remove your loved one from the abusive situation immediately and report the abuse to nursing home administrators.
• Call your state’s toll-free line to report the abuse. Include the nursing home resident’s name, address, and details about the suspected abuse. Some states ask for your contact information, but many others allow confidential reports to be made.
• If possible, collect evidence (photos, medical records, witness statements, etc.) of the abuse.
• Consult a nursing home abuse lawyer to discuss your legal options.

Please note that the above is not necessarily the order in which you should report nursing home abuse — and you do not need to have reported abuse to authorities or an ombudsman to file a nursing home abuse lawsuit.

As a national nursing home abuse law firm, Sokolove Law may be able to help you access justice and seek compensation if physical or sexual abuse occurred.

Call Sokolove Law now at (800) 995-1212 for a free case review to see if you may be able to take legal action for abuse.

Who to Report Nursing Home Abuse To

There are many people you can contact who can take action after nursing home abuse occurs. Some, such as the police, may seem obvious, while you may not be familiar with others, like your state’s Long-Term Care (LTC) Ombudsman.

Regardless of whom you report the abuse to, or when, contact an attorney who can determine if you and your loved one can pursue compensation for injuries.

• Local Authorities. Nursing home abuse is usually a crime. The police may be able to help stop abusers. In cases where there is significant evidence of abuse, criminal charges may be filed in addition to a civil complaint.
• Nursing Home Administrators. If the administrators at an assisted living facility take reports of abuse seriously, as they should, they will likely remove or fire the suspected abuser and investigate the claim. Nursing home administrators may be able to help determine the scope of the abuse by determining how many residents were harmed by the abuser, and how frequently abuse occurred.
• Long-Term Care Ombudsman. Launched in 1972 under the Older Americans Act (OAA), the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program (LTCOP) was designed to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of long-term care residents in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam. A crucial part of the LTC Ombudsman’s role is investigating and resolving complaints of abuse. For this reason, every state has a toll-free hotline that people can call to report abuse.
• Adult Protective Services or Another Help Hotline. States (and some cities) also have Adult Protective Services you can contact to report elder mistreatment or neglect. This is one of several toll-free hotlines you may be able to call to report nursing home abuse. Other options may include social services, the health department, or your state’s Attorney General’s office.

In addition to any formal reporting of the abuse, consider reaching out to a nursing home abuse lawyer. If your loved one was physically harmed or sexually abused, a nursing home abuse attorney may be able to pursue compensation and justice on their behalf.

Nursing Home & Senior Abuse Reporting Requirements

In order to report cases of nursing home abuse, you’ll need to give details about who was harmed and what happened. Below, our team has compiled some of the information you may need to provide when reporting elder abuse in nursing homes.

• The name and location of the nursing home where the abuse is taking place
• The name and job title or role of the suspected abuser
• The name of the abuser’s victim
• Details about the nature of the abuse and the victim’s injury

Please note that you do not need physical proof of abuse to report it.

Confidentially Reporting Nursing Home Abuse

In many states, you can report nursing home abuse anonymously, without giving your name or contact information. In others, you are required to provide your personal information.

Contact your state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman to find out if you can report abuse confidentially.

Most Doctors and Nurses Are Required to Report Abuse

Everyone has a moral obligation to report elder abuse in assisted living facilities — but in most states, doctors, nurses, nursing home staff, and other health care professionals are also legally required to report suspected abuse.

Health care professionals who witness or suspect abuse but fail to report it could be held accountable by victims of the abuse through a nursing home abuse lawsuit.

Get Help from a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Reporting nursing home abuse may sound daunting, but it could be the only way to stop it. By reporting your case to a nursing home abuse lawyer, you can hold abusers and the facilities that enabled the abuse responsible. You may also seek compensation for the harm done and prevent other residents from being hurt.

If your loved one suffered nursing home abuse, call our nursing home abuse attorneys right away at (800) 995-1212. At Sokolove Law, we have more than 45 years of experience helping families get access to justice.

Our lawyers can help you pursue justice and compensation if your loved one has been injured. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case review to see if our team can help.