You trusted a facility to care for someone you love, and discovering that trust was broken is one of the most painful realizations a family can face. Nursing home abuse and neglect happen far more often than most people want to believe, and the victims are rarely in a position to speak up for themselves. Our personal injury attorney at Hughes Law Group holds nursing homes, their staff, and the corporations that own them accountable when they fail the people in their care.
Why Choose Hughes Law Group to Represent You
Attorney Joel Hughes has worked on both sides of the negotiating table, which means he understands exactly how insurance companies and facility defense teams build their strategies to minimize liability and protect their bottom line. That insider knowledge allows Hughes Law Group to anticipate their tactics and dismantle them before they gain traction in your case:
- Independent investigation: Reviewing staffing records, inspection reports, and internal incident logs to uncover the systemic failures that allowed the abuse or neglect to occur.
- Medical record analysis: Working with independent healthcare professionals to document your loved one’s injuries and connect them directly to the facility’s substandard care.
- Regulatory accountability: Identifying violations of South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control standards and federal nursing home regulations that support your claim.
- Aggressive negotiation: Confronting the facility’s insurers with evidence strong enough to push toward a fair settlement without unnecessary delay.
- Trial preparation: Building every case as though it’s heading to a Richland County courtroom, because that readiness changes the entire dynamic of settlement discussions.
What Constitutes Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse encompasses any deliberate act or pattern of neglect by facility staff that causes harm to a resident. South Carolina Code § 43-35-10 defines abuse of vulnerable adults broadly, covering physical, emotional, sexual, and financial misconduct.
Physical Abuse and Neglect
Physical abuse includes hitting, pushing, restraining, or otherwise causing bodily harm to a nursing home resident. Neglect covers the failure to provide necessities like food, water, medication, hygiene, and repositioning for bedridden patients, which can lead to bedsores, malnutrition, dehydration, and preventable infections.
Emotional and Mental Abuse
Yelling, threatening, humiliating, isolating, or intimidating a resident all constitute forms of emotional abuse. Staff members who deliberately ignore residents, withhold social interaction, or use fear to control behavior inflict psychological damage.
Sexual Abuse
Any unwanted sexual contact with a nursing home resident constitutes abuse, regardless of whether the perpetrator is a staff member or another resident. Facilities bear responsibility for protecting vulnerable individuals from sexual harm and for properly screening and supervising the people they employ.
Financial Abuse
Financial exploitation occurs when someone in a position of trust steals from, manipulates, or coerces a resident into handing over money, property, or access to financial accounts. Caregivers, administrators, and even fellow residents can commit this type of abuse, and it often goes unnoticed until significant assets have already disappeared.
Is Your Loved One a Victim of Nursing Home Abuse? Contact Us Now
Contact Hughes Law at 803-704-1004 to schedule a free consultation with a nursing home abuse attorney in Columbia who will examine the circumstances surrounding your loved one’s care, identify the parties responsible for the harm, and take immediate legal action to protect their safety and pursue the compensation your family deserves.
