Based in Seattle, Washington, our firm was founded in 1991 and has branch offices in Los Angeles and Phoenix. The firm is led by Steve Berman, a nationally recognized expert in class action litigation and recently cited as one of the nation's top 100 attorneys by The National Law Journal.

Our firm is committed to representing plaintiffs in class actions and multi-party large-scale complex litigation and in particular becoming engaged in cases that have the potential for having a positive impact on protecting the rights of investors, consumers, workers and the environment.

We have expanded our traditional class action practice to include nursing home abuse and negligent care cases. For example, the firm has recently filed a ground breaking class action against ManorCare Inc. (NYSE:HCR), one of the nation's largest and most profitable nursing home chains. ManorCare is accused of failing to meet state and federal minimum standards in providing nursing care to thousands of elderly residents housed in nine ManorCare facilities in California.

If you believe you have a legal claim involving nursing home neglect or abuse, we'd like to hear from you.

Our firm will represent individuals who have a legal claim on behalf of themselves or a loved one involving nursing home abuse or neglect. We are happy to respond to any questions you may have.

CLUES TO HELP DETECT NEGLECT AND ABUSE IN NURSING HOMES

Signs
Dehydration: Look for signs of dry mouth or chapped lips if you suspect dehydration. A simple test is to take the skin on the back of their hand between your thumb and pointer finger and GENTLY lift it up into a little peak. If the skin stays up longer than your skin, they are dehydrated.

Laws and Recommendations

It is required that each patient receives six glasses of fluids per day, and it is recommended that patients are offered fluids once every two hours. Make sure that the patient is being served fluids at meals and that they have liquids accessible to them within their room. Toileting and Hygiene Scaly, dry skin and bedsores are a sign of improper hygiene.

Bedsores can indicate that the patient has been left laying in their own waste for long periods of time or they are suffering from malnutrition. Once a bedsore is discovered, by law the patient is to be turned or repositioned every two hours. It is recommended that each resident be checked every two hours for regular toileting and repositioning to prevent decubitus ulcers or bedsores.

Nutrition and Weight Loss

If you suspect that the resident has lost weight, ask the nurses what the patient's monthly weight is and their chart comparison. If your suspicions are correct, request weekly weight checks and notify the patient's doctor. Nursing homes are required to chart how much residents eat and drink, and it is your right to review these records. If residents fail to finish 75% of their food, they run the risk of malnutrition according to the federal government. Patients also have the right to request a substitute meal and nutritional shakes if they do not like the food being served. Staffing Check how many patients each certified nursing assistant(CNA's) has to feed. CNA's should not be feeding more than four patients at a time.

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No attorney's fee is due unless we collect on the claim.