
Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Finding out that a caregiver is abusing your loved one is a devastating discovery.
Nursing home abuse attorney Lynn C. Harris can help you hold negligent or abusive caregivers responsible for their actions.
Find out how our legal team in Salt Lake City, UT, has helped victims and their loved ones obtain justice for nursing home abuse...
What Are the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse is the mistreatment or neglect of an elderly resident in an assisted living facility. It can involve emotional, physical, financial, or sexual abuse, or the neglect of a resident.
Physical Abuse
Elder abuse is often committed by caregivers, making victims afraid, unwilling, or unable to report the mistreatment they suffer. For this reason, it is important that family members are familiar with the warning signs of physical abuse, which can include:
- Bandages, bleeding, or bruising
- Open wounds, cuts, burns, or bed sores
- Ligature marks around the mouth, throat, wrists, or ankles
- Injuries from restraint or lack of restraint
- Unexplained falls
- Sudden changes in weight
- Poor hygiene, soiling, urine or feces odor
- Serious infections
- Hair loss
- Torn, stained, or bloody clothing or bedding
- Overall uncleanliness of living quarters
- Indications of sexual abuse
Emotional Abuse
While the physical signs of nursing home abuse may be evident, emotional abuse is more difficult to detect. Emotional abuse can include insults, threats, humiliation, or intimidation of the patient. To help identify abuse, family members should be alert to changes in the patient’s behavior, such as:
- Listlessness or unresponsiveness
- Infantile or other unusual behaviors
- Physical or emotional withdrawal
- Depression
- Refusal or reluctance to speak
- Changes in sleeping patterns or wakefulness
Financial Exploitation
In addition to physical and emotional abuse, nursing home residents are sometimes subject to financial exploitation. The most apparent indication is sudden or unusual financial transactions. Like all forms of abuse, if you suspect any financial wrongdoing, contact the authorities immediately and then seek legal representation to help protect your family’s rights. Some of the signs of financial exploitation include:
- Unusual withdrawals or charges
- Large withdrawals or charges
- Changes to wills or other financial documents
- Missing valuables
- An addition of a person to a financial account
Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing homes should maintain adequate security to prevent residents from placing themselves in danger and prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the facility. Other types of neglect can include:
- Failure to provide adequate food, clothing, and shelter
- Failure to provide needed medical care
- Failure to prevent falls
- Failure to prevent malnutrition and dehydration
- Failure to assist with personal hygiene
It is always a good idea to act fast and consult our attorneys about the time limitations for filing a lawsuit. For some government-run nursing homes in Utah, the time limit is as little as one year.
Contact an Attorney for Help with Your Case
If your loved one has suffered because of neglect or abuse in a nursing home, attorney Lynn C. Harris can provide the representation needed to secure the compensation you deserve.
He has been practicing law for more than 40 years, and is a member of the Utah Association for Justice, Utah State Bar, and The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100.
To learn more about how a nursing home abuse lawyer can help you file a successful claim, schedule a free consultation with us. We have offices in Salt Lake City, Provo, Lehi, and Park City. Contact us online or call us at:
(801) 609-6828

What Should I Do If I Suspect Abuse?
Lynn C. Harris has been practicing law for more than 40 years, and is a member of the Utah Association for Justice, Utah State Bar, and The National Trial Lawyers: Top 100.
Statutes of Limitations in Utah

Get the Specifics on Time Limitations
Medical Malpractice
Many nursing home neglect and abuse cases involve medical malpractice. In these cases, victims have two years from the date of the injury, or two years from the date the injury should have been discovered, to file a lawsuit. However, all claims must be filed within four years of the act that caused the injury.
Personal Injury
If you have grounds for a personal injury claim against the nursing home, you must file suit within four years from the date of the accident.
Wrongful Death
If a loved one dies as a result of negligence or abuse at a nursing home, eligible family members must file a wrongful death lawsuit within two years from the date of the death.