Baton Rouge Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Baton Rouge Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

Your loved one trusted a nursing home to keep them safe. That trust was violated. Now you need a Baton Rouge personal injury lawyer who will fight to hold the facility accountable.

Murphy Law Firm has been protecting vulnerable Louisianans and their families since 1993. We understand that nursing home abuse cases are deeply personal matters involving people who can not protect themselves.

We represent nursing home abuse and neglect victims across the greater Baton Rouge area, including East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, East Feliciana, and West Feliciana Parishes. If your loved one suffered elder abuse, nursing home negligence, or mistreatment at a nursing home or assisted living facility, our experienced attorneys will fight to hold every responsible party accountable.

Our Baton Rouge nursing home abuse lawyers pursue every avenue of compensation available and make clear to nursing facilities that neglecting and abusing residents has serious consequences.

If your loved one suffered abuse or neglect in a Baton Rouge nursing home or long-term care facility, call us at (225) 928-8800 or complete the short form on our contact page. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Our personal injury attorneys offer a free case review – there is no upfront cost and no fee until we recover compensation for you.

What Is Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect?

Nursing home abuse refers to intentional acts that cause harm to a resident, including physical violence, sexual abuse, emotional manipulation, or financial exploitation. Nursing home neglect refers to the failure to provide adequate care, whether intentional or resulting from understaffing, inadequate training, or institutional indifference.

Both abuse and neglect violate Louisiana law, federal nursing home regulations, and the fundamental duty of care that long-term care facilities owe to their residents.

Louisiana nursing home residents have legally protected rights under the state of Louisiana’s Louisiana Nursing Home Residents’ Bill of Rights and federal regulations under the Nursing Home Reform Act. These rights include the right to be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation; the right to receive adequate medical care; the right to be treated with dignity; and the right to have complaints addressed promptly.

When nursing homes violate these rights and harm residents, we hold negligent parties accountable.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse We Handle

Our Baton Rouge nursing home abuse lawyers handle all forms of resident abuse and neglect, including:

• Physical abuse — hitting, slapping, pushing, improper physical restraint, and inappropriate use of chemical restraints are all forms of physical abuse. Signs include unexplained bruises, cuts, fractures, or burns.
• Emotional and psychological abuse — threatening, humiliating, isolating, or verbally berating residents causes serious psychological harm. Signs include sudden behavioral changes, withdrawal, depression, or anxiety.
• Sexual abuse — any non-consensual sexual contact with a nursing home resident is abuse. Residents with dementia or cognitive impairment are particularly vulnerable.
• Financial exploitation — unauthorized use of a resident’s funds, theft of personal property, forging signatures on financial documents, and manipulation of residents into changing wills or financial arrangements.
• Neglect — failure to provide adequate food, water, hygiene care, wound care, or medical treatment. Pressure sores (bedsores) are among the most common and serious signs of nursing home neglect — they develop when residents are not repositioned regularly and indicate a fundamental failure of basic care.
• Elopement — when a resident with dementia or cognitive impairment is allowed to wander from the facility unsupervised. Nursing home staff have a duty to implement appropriate safeguards for at-risk residents.
• Medication errors — administering the wrong medications, wrong doses, or failing to administer prescribed medications — constitute negligence and possibly even medical malpractice that can cause serious harm.

Warning Signs of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect

If your loved one in a Baton Rouge nursing home shows any of the following signs of abuse, contact Murphy Law Firm immediately:

• Unexplained bruises, cuts, broken bones, or injuries — especially in locations inconsistent with falls
• Pressure sores or bedsores, particularly advanced-stage wounds
• Signs of malnutrition and dehydration, including unexplained weight loss, dry skin, or sudden weakness
• Poor hygiene — unwashed hair, soiled clothing, and an unclean living environment are all signs of neglect.
• Unexplained fear or anxiety around specific staff members may indicate emotional abuse
• Withdrawal from activities or interactions they previously enjoyed
• Sudden changes to financial accounts or legal documents and missing personal property may be signs of financial abuse.
• Caregivers who seem reluctant to leave you alone with your loved one
• Frequent falls or injuries with vague or inconsistent explanations
• Repeated infections that suggest inadequate wound or catheter care

Families often feel uncertain about whether what they are observing rises to the level of abuse or neglect. You know your loved one better than any nursing home staff member. If you have concerns, take them seriously. Document what you see with photographs and written notes, including dates and times.

Ask nursing home staff directly for an explanation of any injuries or changes in condition and note their responses. Request medical records and care plan documentation. Louisiana law gives nursing home residents and their authorized family members the right to access these records. If staff are uncooperative or evasive, that is a warning sign worth documenting.

You have the right to visit your loved one at any reasonable time, to review their care plan, and to ask questions about their treatment and well-being. Trust your instincts and do not wait for your loved one to experience a serious injury before getting help.

If something feels wrong, it may be. Take legal action and contact a Baton Rouge nursing home abuse attorney to discuss your concerns.

What Compensation Is Available in Nursing Home Abuse Cases?

Louisiana law allows victims of nursing home abuse and their families to pursue:

Compensatory damages for the resident’s medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. Where abuse or neglect caused death, wrongful death damages are available to surviving family members.

Wrongful death damages occur when nursing home neglect or abuse causes or contributes to a resident’s death. Surviving spouses, children, and other family members may have the right to file a wrongful death claim for loss of love and companionship, funeral expenses, and other losses.

Louisiana’s Prescriptive Period for Nursing Home Abuse Claims

Under Louisiana Civil Code Article 3493.1, you have two years from the date of the abuse or neglect — or from when you discovered or reasonably should have discovered it — to file a lawsuit. In wrongful death cases, surviving family members generally have one year from the date of death or two years from the date of the injury that resulted in death, as outlined in Louisiana Civil Code Article 2315.2.

Do not wait. Facility records, staffing logs, medical records, and surveillance footage may be destroyed or lost over time.

Contact Murphy Law Firm as soon as you suspect healthcare abuse or neglect so we can begin preserving critical evidence immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my loved one’s injuries are the result of nursing home abuse or neglect?
Any unexplained injury in a nursing home setting should be taken seriously. Pressure sores, sudden weight loss, head trauma, unexplained bruising, burns, and behavioral changes are among the most common indicators. If nursing home staff cannot provide a clear and consistent explanation for an injury, contact Murphy Law Firm’s neglect lawyers for a free case review.

What is the difference between nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect?
Abuse involves intentional harmful acts, such as physical violence, emotional manipulation, financial exploitation, or sexual misconduct. Neglect involves the failure to provide adequate care, including insufficient nutrition, untreated wounds, medication errors, or failure to reposition bedridden residents. Both nursing home abuse and nursing home neglect give rise to personal injury claims.

How long do I have to file a nursing home abuse claim in Louisiana?

You generally have two years from the date of the abuse or neglect to file a personal injury lawsuit. In wrongful death cases, you have one year from the date of death or two years from the date of the injury that caused death to file a claim. However, there are exceptions to the two-year filing deadline, so you must promptly consult an experienced Louisiana personal injury lawyer to determine how long you have to act.

Does Murphy Law Firm handle nursing home abuse cases outside of Baton Rouge?
Yes. Murphy Law Firm represents nursing home abuse and neglect victims and their families throughout Louisiana, including in East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston, Iberville, Pointe Coupee, East Feliciana, and West Feliciana Parishes.

Why Murphy Law Firm?
Nursing home abuse cases require an experienced personal injury law attorney who understands both the emotional weight of what families are going through and the legal complexity of holding institutional defendants accountable. Peyton Murphy has been representing injured and vulnerable Louisianans for over 33 years. We have the experience, skills, and resources to take on large nursing home chains and their insurance companies, and the trial record that makes them take our cases seriously.

We handle all nursing home abuse cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we win. Call our phone number at (225) 928-8800 — available 24/7 — or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.

Murphy Law Firm | 2354 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, Louisiana | Serving families throughout Louisiana.

Your Path to Legal Resolution Starts with Murphy Law Firm.

When you choose Murphy Law Firm, you gain access to a team of experienced attorneys with a proven track record of success. We understand the importance of trust, and we strive to build lasting relationships with our clients by delivering exceptional results.

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