Personal Injury Advocate
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Do you think a nursing home failed to care for someone you love?

If a parent, spouse, or family member was hurt, neglected, or died because a nursing home did not give them proper care, you are in the right place.

Is your loved one in danger right now?

  • Call 911 if they need emergency care.
  • Tell staff to get a nurse now.
  • Do not leave them alone until they are safe.
  • Call your state's long-term care ombudsman to report the facility.
  • This page is for after your loved one is safe.

This page covers nursing home neglect claims and what to do right now. We are the family's advocate. We connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours, so your family gets the full settlement your loved one's recovery deserves. Always free. Talk to an advocate. We usually reply within minutes, at most one business day.

Nursing home neglect means a facility failed to provide the basic care a resident needs, such as food, water, hygiene, medication, fall prevention, or timely medical attention. It is different from abuse, which is an intentional act, though the two sometimes happen together. Both are taken seriously by state and federal regulators.

Why nursing home neglect cases are tricky

Neglect is common but underreported. Nursing homes in the United States received 94,499 health citations in 2023, and about 8.1% involved abuse, neglect, or exploitation of residents, a rate that has held steady since 2021 (McKnight's Long-Term Care News, reporting CMS data). A federal report found thousands of potential neglect or abuse cases in emergency rooms were never reported as required (U.S. GAO, GAO-19-433).

Admission paperwork often includes an arbitration clause, a section that says disputes will be settled by a private arbitrator instead of a court. Federal nursing home regulations (42 CFR 483.70, from CMS, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) say a facility cannot require a resident to sign one as a condition of admission, and residents get a 30-day window to cancel it even after signing (American Bar Association, on the CMS final rule). Ask before signing anything, and talk to an advocate about what the paperwork means.

Chronic understaffing is a major driver of neglect, including falls, bedsores, medication errors, and dehydration. Nursing home companies also sometimes restructure, sell facilities, or file for bankruptcy, which can affect whether a settlement actually gets paid.

What real nursing home neglect cases have paid

These are publicly reported results. They show how widely cases vary. They are examples only. No one can promise or predict what any case is worth, and many cases resolve for far less. We are not a law firm.

Regulators and courts do act when facilities fail residents, especially when the pattern involves staffing and systemic care failures.

When it goes wrong: a true story

Genesis HealthCare, once one of the largest nursing home chains in the country, agreed to pay settlements to families over injuries and deaths at its facilities, including a $3.5 million settlement in one case and a $950,000 settlement in another. When the company later filed for bankruptcy, it had not fully paid many of those settlements. Of 155 settlement agreements reviewed by reporters, Genesis had paid nothing in 85 cases and only part of the amount owed in 70 others, leaving about $41 million of $58 million in agreed settlements unpaid (KFF Health News, carried by CBS News).

Winning a settlement is not always the end of the story. This is not a reason to give up. Talk to an advocate. They will introduce you to a lawyer who understands these risks and can help your family plan for them from the start.

Protect your family's case

  1. Take photos of any visible injuries, unsafe conditions, or signs of poor care, with dates.
  2. Request your loved one's medical and care records from the facility in writing.
  3. Warning: don't wait! Your state's filing deadline is a trap, and waiting too long can end your family's claim. Find your state on our state pages now.
  4. Talk to an advocate at WeHelpInjured. It is free.

Never do these

What we can help with

We help you understand what happened and your family's rights, in plain language. We help you understand what records and evidence matter, explain state resources including your local long-term care ombudsman program, and connect you with a lawyer who handles cases like yours. All of it is free to you. We never take money from injured families.

Talk to an advocate. Start the form or open the chat.

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