Many nursing home residents have medical needs when they enter the nursing home, and they receive medical care as necessary for their conditions. These costs are to be expected and they are the responsibility for the nursing home resident, her family, or the government, as applicable.
However, the financial responsibility of the resident does not include medical expenses that were created by the abusive or negligent actions of the nursing home staff.
These Medical Expenses Should Be Paid by the Nursing Home
Any medical cost that is directly related to the abuse or negligence that your loved one suffered in her nursing home should be part of her nursing home recovery at arbitration or in court. While every award of damages is unique and based on the specific injuries suffered by the nursing home resident, medical damages could include compensation for past, current, and future:
- Ambulance rides.
- Hospitalizations.
- Surgeries.
- Medications.
- Doctors’ office visits.
- Rehabilitation therapies, such as physical therapy.
- Assistive devices, such as wheelchairs.
Of course, you loved one and her attorney will need to prove that these costs were because of medical conditions that resulted from the abuse or negligence, and not because of other reasons.
How to Help Your Loved One Make a Fair Recovery
You may know which medical expenses were caused by the nursing home’s abusive or negligent actions, but in order for your loved one or her estate to recover for medical costs, you are going to have to prove what happened and convince the arbitrator or the court of the value of these damages. Useful evidence could include medical records and expert testimony from your loved one’s physicians.
For more information about how to gather the evidence that you need and to make the strong arguments necessary to convince the arbitrator or court of the value of these damages, we encourage you to call us any time at 1-800-800-5678.