Kansas City Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys

Let Our Team Fight for You & Your Family

Choosing to place an elderly loved one in the care of a nursing home or assisted living facility is never easy. When making this difficult choice, you expect the facility and its staff to provide your loved one with the highest level of care and respect. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.

Nursing home abuse and neglect are shockingly common in the United States, with approximately 1 in 6 people aged 60 and older experiencing some form of abuse or neglect in communal environments each year according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Perhaps more alarming still, two-thirds of nursing home and long-term care facility staff report having committed various acts of abuse against elderly residents.

If you have been the victim of nursing home abuse, or if you believe your elderly loved one is being mistreated by nursing home or long-term care facility staff, seek immediate help. In addition to alerting the proper authorities, we encourage you to reach out to the Law Office of Tom Wagstaff Jr. to learn how our Kansas City nursing home abuse attorneys can help you seek justice through a nursing home abuse lawsuit. You may be entitled to financial compensation for your damages; our team can guide you through the legal process and protect your rights as we advocate tirelessly for you and your family.

Contact us online or by phone at (816) 597-4556 to schedule a free initial consultation with a member of our caring and compassionate team.

What Is Nursing Home Abuse?

Nursing home abuse takes many forms but, essentially, it includes any mistreatment of nursing home or assisted living/long-term care facility residents.

The different types of nursing home abuse include:

Physical Abuse: Physical abuse includes any violent or unwanted physical contact, such as hitting, pinching, slapping, pushing, shoving, forceful grabbing, etc.
Neglect: Neglect occurs when nursing home staff fails to meet a resident’s basic needs, including their nutritional, hygienic, medical, and other needs.
Psychological Abuse: Psychological abuse refers to the infliction of mental or emotional harm, often through yelling, belittling, ridiculing, isolating, name-calling, threatening, etc.
Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse includes any nonconsensual sexual acts, such as rape, sexual assault, molestation, groping, etc. This includes instances in which a person cannot give consent.
Financial Abuse: Financial abuse occurs when someone attempts to take advantage of, steal from, or defraud another person.

Sadly, all of these types of elder abuse can and do occur in nursing homes and other assisted-living facilities throughout the country. At the Law Office of Tom Wagstaff Jr., we represent victims and their families in bringing lawsuits against liable nursing homes and staff that fail to properly care for residents’ health, safety, and wellbeing.

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Heirship Dispute - Our client’s mother died from ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson brand talcum powder. We recovered $37 million for our client following a successful mediation to resolve the disagreement between the heirs.

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$1.5 Million Nursing Home Sexual Abuse

What Are the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect?

Because elderly nursing home residents cannot always speak up for themselves, it is crucial that family members and loved ones know the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect.

Some of the most common signs of nursing home abuse and neglect include:

Unexplained injuries, such as cuts, bruises, broken bones, head injuries, etc.
Accidents, including falls
Bedsores, pneumonia, and other preventable injuries/illnesses
Medication errors, such as failing to take medications or overdoses
Malnutrition/dehydration
New or worsening medical conditions
Changes in mood or behavior
Frequent crying
Irritability or aggression
Unwillingness to be in the presence of a certain staff member
Staff refusing to allow visitors to be alone with residents
Missing possessions or personal property
Changes to wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives
Unusual withdrawals from bank accounts
Bounced checks
Poor personal hygiene
Soiled clothing, sheets, and/or blankets
A generally unclean or untidy environment

If you notice any signs of abuse or neglect, or if you simply believe that something is wrong, you should take immediate action to protect your loved one.

Should You Report Nursing Home Abuse?

Anyone who suspects or knows that nursing home abuse is occurring should report the abuse to the proper authorities. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911. In all other instances, you may report abuse by staff to the nursing home, or you can alert local law enforcement and/or the appropriate state agencies in your area.

How to Report Nursing Home Abuse in Missouri

There are several ways to report known or suspected nursing home abuse and neglect in Missouri:

To report abuse or neglect of an elderly individual at home or in long-term care facilities, call the adult abuse and neglect hotline at 1-800-392-0210
To check on an investigation after abuse or neglect has been reported via the adult abuse and neglect hotline, contact Missouri’s Adult Protective Services agency
You can also report elder abuse or neglect to the state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program by calling (573) 526-0727 (in-state) or 1-800-309-3282 (out-of-state)

How to Report Nursing Home Abuse in Kansas

To report known or suspected nursing home abuse in Kansas:

Call the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services’ abuse, neglect, or exploitation hotline at 1-800-842-0078
File a complaint with the state’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, either online or by calling 1-877-662-8362 (toll-free) or (785) 296-3017

When to Hire a Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

If you or someone you love has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, it is important that you reach out to a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible. Various filing deadlines—known as statutes of limitations—apply to these types of cases, meaning you have a limited amount of time to file a claim. An attorney can help you navigate the legal process and seek fair compensation for your damages, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and more.

You likely have a case if someone else is responsible for your elderly loved one’s injuries, illness, or worsened medical condition. You will need to prove that another person or party—such as a nursing home or staff member—is liable for these damages in order to recover a settlement. Having an attorney by your side during this process can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. Additionally, if the liable party is not willing to settle, your attorney can represent you and your rights at trial.

How the Team at the Law Office of Tom Wagstaff Jr. Can Help

With more than 25 years of legal experience, founding attorney, Tom Wagstaff, is highly knowledgeable of both Missouri and Kansas personal injury laws. He and his team of Kansas City nursing home abuse attorneys are here to protect your rights and fight for the justice you deserve.

We understand that this is an extremely challenging time in your life. With this in mind, we provide compassionate, personalized legal services tailored to your individual needs. We take the time to get to know our clients and build relationships with them because we genuinely care. We want to help you obtain the justice you deserve, all while serving as your trusted advocate and guide throughout the legal process.

We represent clients in all types of nursing home abuse cases, including those involving:

Basic needs neglect
Bedsores
Dehydration
Elder abuse
Financial abuse
Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Emotional and social neglect
Falls
Inadequate staff
Inadequate training
Infections
Malnutrition
Medical neglect
Medication errors
Neglect
Negligent hiring
Personal hygiene neglect
Personnel issues
Unsupervised care
Wrongful death

Reach out to our team of experienced lawyers today for help with your nursing home abuse or neglect claim. We do not collect any legal fees unless/until we win your case.

Call (816) 597-4556 or contact us online to get started with a free consultation.