Nursing Home Abuse: Helping You Protect the Rights of Your Loved Ones

Welcome to the Williamson and Lavecchia Online Guide to Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect, addressing the top concerns of those seeking care for an aging loved one, including types of care centers available to you and the types of abuse our elders suffer while in the care of the worst nursing homes. For families who are in the process of seeking a living facility for a loved one, we also provide information that addresses the warning signs and symptoms of poorly maintained and inadequate elder care and nursing homes.

Please view a brief summary of our Elder Abuse legal services for more information:

• Restraints in Nursing Homes

• Malnutrition and Dehydration

• Pressure Sores

• Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

• Nursing Home Slip and Fall Injuries

• Adult Homes

Carolyn Lavecchia, the leader of the Elder Abuse Law team of Williamson and Lavecchia, L.C. became a lawyer to help people injured by the wrongful conduct of health care providers. For approximately twenty years, Carolyn has successfully represented patients and their families in cases against negligent adult homes, nursing homes, hospitals and physicians. Her dedication to helping the injured by using her experience as a nurse and a successful trial lawyer has earned her the admiration of her clients and the respect of her opponents.

Adult homes, also called "Assisted Living Facilities" and "Nursing Homes" are available to residents in different levels of care:

Assisted Living : Where residents need assistance in taking care of their day-to-day needs (bathing, meal preparation, medicine) and their health care due to physical or mental impairments. The levels of care vary based on the needs of the resident.

Nursing Homes : Where residents need around the clock nursing care. Nursing homes provided varying levels of care including more intensive skilled care which is often funded by Medicare.

Residents have the right to live in an environment that maximizes their independence and promotes personal dignity and individuality. Unfortunately, the reality may be starkly different. Adult homes in Virginia have been found to be understaffed, poorly maintained, unheated, unsanitary, and unsafe. Some adult homes have been shut down because of horrendous living conditions. Residents have also been victims of violent crimes like rape and sexual assaults while in adult homes.

According to the Department of Social Services (DSS), the incidence of substantiated cases of elder abuse and neglect is on the rise. In fact in the past 10 years, reported cases of abuse and neglect have risen by over 50%. Virginia has fewer protections for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities than any other state in the nation. If you discover elder abuse or neglect, it is best to contact the proper government agencies and in the most serious cases, an attorney experienced in this kind of litigation.

Attorneys experienced in nursing home abuse and neglect can tap the resources of the state investigative agencies and also conduct a separate investigation of the patient's injuries and the nursing home's misconduct.  In egregious cases, experienced attorneys may pursue punitive damages to punish the nursing home and to deter future wrongful conduct