In-home Caregivers near Poway Talk Legal Options

Hospitals are intended, of course, to be centers of healing. If all goes according to plan, you enter it with an illness or injury and leave it some time later with your body repaired. As most of us know—some sadly through personal experience—things do not always go “according to plan.” Because there is such a high concentration of sickness at any given hospital, infections are a constant threat. The sensitive, delicate procedures that surgeons perform every day can fail, leading to further problems. In the most tragic cases, negligence or deliberate actions on the part of staff members cause injury to patients.

In such cases, concerned family members often wonder: is it possible or worthwhile to bring a lawsuit against the hospital? A consultation with a qualified attorney would be necessary to answer that question, but in this post your in-home caregivers near Poway give you some idea of the legal landscape.

Medical Malpractice: A Serious Matter

The problem of medical malpractice has had a profound effect on the health care industry over the last few decades. Whereas patients of past generations were more inclined to excuse the mistakes of medical professionals, today the general public has extremely high expectations for their doctors and surgeons. In addition, the problem of scammers and unethical lawyers bringing frivolous lawsuits against hospitals has forced them to protect themselves by purchasing expensive malpractice insurance. These changes have reduced the number of malpractice instances but have also made it very difficult for injured patients to sue doctors for compensation even if they have a legitimate claim.

Recent Developments in Arizona

A recent court decision in Arizona gives an impression of how the legal system views hospital lawsuits, especially when they involve the elderly. The decision stated that family members of elderly patients were eligible to sue hospitals for violating care rules that were originally intended to govern nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. This view is encouraging for those who feel their senior loved ones were mistreated during a hospital stay; at least in Arizona, the court does not see hospitals as exempt from the senior abuse laws that long term care facilities must obey.

In order to have a serious case, the mistreatment claimed in such a lawsuit would almost certainly have to be extreme. In the case of both plaintiffs in the Arizona case, senior loved ones died, presumably as a direct result of poor hospital care.

In-home Caregivers in San Diego County Offer Compassionate Care

Hopefully you and your family will never have reason to consult a lawyer about the possibility of bringing a lawsuit against a hospital in connection with the death of a senior loved one. If you have an elderly family member who requires assistance beyond what you are able to provide, contact us today. Our in-home caregivers in San Diego County are prepared to help!

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