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New Hampshire Elder/Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

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New Hampshire nursing home and elder abuse attorneys are personal injury attorneys who help protect elderly adults who are dependent on institutional or in-home health services. Because of this dependence, as well as the patients' physical or mental disability, they are vulnerable to maltreatment. Nursing home and elder abuse attorneys work to enforce state and federal statutes, laws, regulations, and decisions thereby resulting in a higher standard of care and protection for the elderly.

Elder abuse is a term used to describe mistreatment and neglect of older adults. According to the World Health Organization, elder abuse is a single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person.

There are some signs and symptoms that can provide evidence of elder abuse or neglect. The more visible signs of abuse include bruises, broken bones, cuts, scars and bedsores. The signs of neglect may be a bit harder to notice because the injuries aren't as readily apparent. Neglect includes providing insufficient food and water, inadequate attention to hygiene in residents who are not self-sufficient, inadequate medical care, and failure to assist residents who have mobility issues.

The primary responsibility of a nursing home or elder abuse attorney is to give his or her clients full access to their legal rights. That client may be an elderly person who has suffered mentally and/or physically from the negligent care of nursing home staff or in-home caregivers, an elderly person who has suffered mental, physical, or financial abuse, or survivors of elderly persons whose deaths were caused by the negligent or abusive actions of any person or facility obligated to providing a standard of care.

It is the goal of nursing home and elder abuse attorneys to prove claims that the negligent behavior of someone who owed a greater standard of care to an elderly person resulted in preventable suffering, and to therefore win full and fair settlements that cover all damages, including medical bills, pain and suffering, and burial expenses for such neglected individuals and their families. These settlements are attained by way of negotiation or trial.

Expertise in this area of personal injury law allows these attorneys to deal with special state rules, such as New Hampshire's modified comparative negligence system, which regards the percentage of fault of both parties. They overcome hurdles put in place by insurance companies or attorneys defending nursing homes or caregivers. They are knowledgeable about state laws regulating the nursing industry and others involved in caring for the elderly. Elder abuse and nursing home attorneys have developed special relationships with state agencies responsible for monitoring the behavior of nursing and medical facilities, and they help elderly persons ensure that their rights have not been violated by these agencies.

It is standard practice in the state of New Hampshire for nursing home and elder abuse attorney to offer free consultations.

Elder abuse and nursing home attorneys have a four-year university degree in various fields of study and have passed the New Hampshire State Bar written examination. They are required to keep abreast of legal issues and ethical standards by participating in continuing education courses. The New Hampshire Bar Association regulates the behavior and standards of these professionals.