Wheaton Nursing Home Lawyer

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Wheaton MD nursing home lawyer

There is much discussion about the physical abuse that elderly patients are often subjected to in nursing home abuse cases in Maryland and unfortunately, there continues to be a need for an experienced and reliable Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer that nursing home residents and their families can rely on.

At Cohen & Cohen, we have handled many cases of emotional and psychological abuse and while these have been heartwrenching, we are glad to know that we were able to seek justice for people who could not defend themselves.

It is often very difficult for an elderly person to have leave their home and go live at a nursing home, to give up all of their independence, to allow other people to make all of their decisions for them, such as what time they will have their meals, what those meals will be, and what their daily schedule will be like, etc.

The hope of families is that they have found a good and safe place for their elderly loved one, but we know at Cohen & Cohen, how often that is sadly not the case. Many family members of victims we represent ask us what signs they should have seen that would have indicated the abuse.

Physical abuse is easier to identify because of the evidence this type of abuse often leaves, but emotional abuse symptoms can be much harder to notice. The following are some of the signs that should alert family members that something is definitely wrong and that an investigation into what is going on should be conducted. A Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer can help you to understand what signs to look for and what to do when they are present.

It is important to point out however, some of these symptoms can also mean your loved one is suffering from a mental illness or other condition such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease:

• Agitated
• Avoids eye contact
• Depressed
• Excessively anxious and afraid
• Exhibit strange behavior such as biting, rocking, or sucking
• Exhibits low energy
• Feeling helpless or hopeless
• Frustrated
• Inability to make decisions
• Insomnia or trouble sleeping
• Loss of enthusiasm or interest
• Refuses to eat or drink
• Refuses to see or talk to visitors or others
• Refuses to take medication
• Visible weight loss
• Withdrawn

If someone you care about is displaying any of these signs or other ones that are not typical for them, a Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer can help you to make a plan to get your loved one out of the dangerous situation that is causing these symptoms.

When emotional abuse is suspected, there are certain behaviors that the victim and the abuser may exhibit when they are in the same room in front of others, that can help determine what is going on. When the victim is in the presence of the person who is emotionally abusing them, they are often physically nervous and may even cower. There is often a change in the victim’s mood when the abuser enters the room and you will likely be able to feel the tension.

The abuser will often do all they can to avoid letting family visit with the victim alone and even tries to isolate the victim from family and other patients. When questioned, the abuser may give statements that appear to be contradictory regarding the victim’s behavior. They also often treat the victim as if they were a child.

Whether you simply suspect or know that your loved one is being a abused, the help of a Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer may allow you to stop the abuse sooner than if you were to try to do this on your own.

Contact a Compassionate Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Today

Tragically, this scenario of neglect plays out time and time again in nursing homes throughout Maryland. Our nursing home lawyers have represented countless Wheaton, MD victims and their families who suffered extreme pain and other medical problems because of neglect on the part of nursing home staff.

If you suspect your family member has suffered mistreatment at the nursing home they reside at, contact Cohen & Cohen for help. Our skilled nursing home abuse attorney can discuss the details of your case, as well as what the legal options are that your family may have. Call our office today.

For a Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer who has a track record of successfully defending the rights of nursing home patients and residents, Cohen & Cohen can give you a free case evaluation with no obligation to you.

Information About Paying for Nursing Home Costs

Nursing homes and other healthcare costs can be expensive, so in cases of neglect by a healthcare facility, sometimes hiring a top nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD provides is a good option for getting justice. The legal firm of Cohen & Cohen has helped victims of personal injuries and medical malpractice get justice for the last two decades. Our attorneys have settled thousands of cases and recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients.

A top nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD offers may be able to help families right the wrongs perpetrated by neglectful and abusive caregivers. In addition to concerns about possible abuse of your loved one, there is also the stress involved of paying for an elder family member’s long term healthcare. Questions of a legal matter are best addressed by a nursing home lawyer in Wheaton MD. The following information may be helpful to you in choosing the best payment options for your loved one depending on your family’s financial situation.

When we leave our loved one’s who cannot take care of themselves in the care of a nursing home that can, we do not do this expecting that we will need a Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer to protect our loved one’s from abuse. Unfortunately, this is an all too common reality in Wheaton, MD nursing homes. 

If you are in this unfortunate situation, the sooner you discuss your situation with a good Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer, the sooner you may be able to ensure that your loved one no longer suffers from abuse or neglect in the home that is supposed to take care of them.

Nursing Homes

Many people think of nursing homes as places for elderly people and while this is true, they can be for people of all ages. A nursing home is a place for people who cannot take care of themselves, to live with 24-hour staff that takes care of them. 

As adults age, their strength and abilities start to decline. Some people get to the point where they still have their mental faculties but their bodies no longer allow them to do the basic things they need to do to take care of themselves such as cooking, laundry, and personal hygiene, etc. Many more older people start to have physical and/or mental health problems that cause them to not be able to take care of themselves.

If you have a much loved older family member in a nursing home who you either know is being abused or suspect that this is happening, a Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer may be able to help.

Sometimes families have to put children and younger adults into nursing homes because they cannot take care of themselves for a variety of reasons. When babies and children are born with defects in vital organs and bodily functions and/or have developmental issues; when children or adults become seriously ill; and when children or adults become seriously injured, are just a few of the many unfortunate reasons for a much loved family member needing to live in a nursing home. 

Nursing Home Abuse

Few families have the resources and/or time to ensure that their loved ones can get proper care and still live at home. When a family has to put someone they love in a nursing home, they are doing it with the knowledge that they will be taken care of. The devastation of finding out that a loved one is getting abused in this place can be overwhelming and make you feel hopeless. A good Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer may be able to help you hold the nursing home liable for the wrong they have done to your loved one.

Whether someone you care about is being abused or is being abused by way of severe neglect, it is important to get this stopped as soon as possible. A good way to do this is with the help of a reliable lawyer.

For a highly rated Wheaton, MD nursing home lawyer, contact Cohen & Cohen for a free case evaluation with no obligation.

What is Medicare and Medicaid?

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services is a federal agency that operates the Medicare program. It also monitors each state’s Medicaid program.

Medicare covered 48.7 million people in 2011. It’s the federal health insurance program for people aged 65 and older. Others who qualify include certain younger people who have disabilities, and people with permanent kidney failure that requires dialysis or a transplant.

Medicare doesn’t pay for most nursing home care costs. It offers limited and medically necessary skilled care or home health care for those with an injury or illness and who meet certain conditions.

What costs does Medicare cover or not cover?

Medicare will cover up to 100 days per benefit period (and under certain conditions) for:

• Skilled care (therapy and nursing) within a skilled nursing facility
• This is for managing, treating, and observing a patient’s condition

Medicare doesn’t usually cover:

• Extended length stays in a nursing home
• Health coverage for physician services, hospital care, and medical equipment while staying in a nursing home

What costs does Medicaid cover or not cover?

Medicaid is a program run by the federal government in individual partnerships with each state. It’s intended to contribute to eligible people’s medical costs who have limited incomes. The majority of health costs are covered between Medicare and Medicaid.

• Most nursing home facilities accept Medicaid, but a nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD families trust might suggest you verify this in writing.
• Though your loved one may have the financial resources to initially pay for long term health care, as his or her savings dwindles, they may eventually qualify for Medicaid.
• Medicaid programs and benefits vary by state.
• Usually, Medicaid eligibility is based on a person’s income and assets or personal resources. Some states have stricter income requirements when it comes to covering nursing home costs. If your loved one has won a settlement from a facility in which they had been abused, a nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD victims rely on may be able to determine how the settlement may affect your loved one’s Medicaid eligibility.
• Even those eligible for Medicaid may have to use their entire income, less a monthly allowance and other necessities, to pay for nursing home costs with Medicaid covering the remaining balance.

Personal Resources

For those who do not qualify for Medicaid or Medicare, they may have to consider using the following resources to pay for their long term health care costs:

• Life savings and liquified assets. There are additional rules specific to the liquidation of assets that can be explained in depth by a nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD clients respect.
• Some insurance companies will allow an insured to use their life insurance policy to pay for long term health care. A nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD residents turn to for legal advice may encourage you to verify this with your insurance company and get it in writing.
• The state cannot put a lien on the elder’s home if:
  • There’s a reasonable expectation that he or she will return to it after getting nursing home care.
  • If the elder has a spouse or dependents living in the house.
  • After a nursing home resident who received Medicaid nursing home benefits passes away, the state is required to try to recover that money from the deceased’s estate. There are limits and restrictions when it comes to their right to put a lien on the deceased’s home. For more information on protecting the elder’s and the surviving family member’s rights, speak to a Wheaton MD nursing home lawyer.

How to Apply for Medicaid

There are several ways to apply for Medicaid:

• Call the state’s Medicaid office
• Visit the state’s Medicaid website online
• Apply in person at the state’s Medicaid office
• Through the state’s health insurance exchange
• If a nursing home resident or hospital patient needs to apply they may be able to do it over the phone with the help of the nursing home or hospital

Long-Term Health Care Insurance

This is private insurance that can help cover the costs of long-term health care. This can include skilled as well as non-skilled health care services.

• Policies vary in terms of coverage, benefits, and cost
• Some policies only cover nursing home care
• Other policies may include much broader coverage for many services including
  • Assisted living health care
  • Medical equipment
  • Informal home care
• Members of the military, retirees, their spouses, and federal employees may qualify for discounts on policy costs

Medicare Advantage Plans and other Medicare Health Plans

Those with a Medicare Advantage Plan like a PPO or an HMO may cover nursing home health care costs. This is unusual though, unless the nursing home has an existing contract with that plan. A nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD clients trust might encourage you to check if your loved one’s plan has nursing home coverage. If a nursing home you’re considering moving your elder into has contracted coverage through the plan, ask the plan’s insurance company if they inspect the nursing home for quality of care.

Medicare Health and Prescription Drug Coverage

You may be able to get coverage for your loved one’s prescriptions from a long-term care pharmacy if:

• The pharmacy works with your loved one’s plan.
• If your loved one has a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan or
• Your loved one lives in a nursing home or other health care facility accepted by Medicare.
• Unless your loved one chose a Medicare health plan with drug coverage or a drug plan, Medicare can automatically enroll the elder family living in a healthcare facility with both Medicare and full Medicaid coverage.
• If your loved one lives in a nursing home and has full Medicaid coverage, they will likely not have to pay for any prescriptions covered under the policy after Medicaid has paid for their stay for at least a full calendar month.

If your loved one is in need of moving to another healthcare facility, or is about to enter one for the first time, your family may have concerns about how to pay for the costs. You may also be questioning if your loved one’s rights have been violated by a previous facility. The attorneys of Cohen & Cohen have a combined knowledge of personal injury laws, malpractice suits, and health care regulations as they may apply to your loved one’s situation. When you have faced nursing home abuse and you need a nursing home lawyer Wheaton MD is proud to have in the community, call us immediately at Cohen & Cohen, P.C.