I need to tell you something personal.
When I was nine, my father got severely hurt at work. He was a truck driver. A Teamster. Still young. That injury destroyed him. His neck, back, spine—everything was permanently damaged. He was never the same person after that.
After he got hurt, he hired the wrong law firm. They were rude. Didn't explain a damn thing. His case went on for 17 years. Seventeen years. At the end, his own lawyer sued him for more fees.
We grew up poor once my dad couldn't work.
That's why I do what I do. And it's why nursing home abuse cases hit different for me than they probably do for other lawyers.
Last year, Maria called me. Her mother was in a nursing home on the Southwest Side, Bridgeport area. Maria went to visit on a Tuesday afternoon. Found her mom in bed, soiled, dehydrated. Bedsores on her back and legs. Nobody had checked on her in hours. When Maria asked staff about it, they acted like everything was fine.
She moved her mom out that same day. But the damage was done. Months of wound care after that. The bedsores got infected. Her mother never fully came back from it.
Maria's situation? It's not unusual. Happens all the time. Lincoln Park, Hyde Park, Rogers Park, South Side, doesn't matter. Understaffing. Workers who don't know what they're doing. Facilities that care more about the bottom line than the people living there.
If your loved one's been abused or neglected in a nursing home, listen—you don't have to just accept it. And don't trust the facility to handle things. They won't.
My promise: No money out of pocket. No fee until we win. Free consultation 24/7/365. You can call me at (312) 500-4500 any time. I mean any time.
Let me be straight with you.
Not every bad thing that happens in a nursing home is abuse or neglect. Sometimes people fall even when staff does everything right. Sometimes health gets worse naturally. That's not necessarily anyone's fault.
But when a nursing home or the people working there fail to give proper care, and that failure hurts someone—that's different. That's when you might have a case.
Two questions matter: Did the facility or staff mess up on their duty of care? And did that screw-up cause the injury?
Both yes? You probably have something.
I've handled these cases all over Chicago and the suburbs. I know what actual abuse and neglect look like. I know the warning signs. And I know how facilities try to sweep things under the rug.
Nursing home abuse shows up in different ways. Here's what I deal with most:
Staff physically hurting residents. Hitting them. Pushing. Rough handling when they're moving people or doing care. Using restraints when they shouldn't.
Usually leaves marks—bruises, cuts, welts, burns. Not always though. Sometimes it's behavioral. Your loved one gets quiet, scared around certain staff.
This is the big one. Most common thing I see. Happens when facilities just don't give basic care.
Leaving residents in dirty clothes or soiled beds for hours. Not helping them get to the bathroom. Skipping meals or not helping them eat. Dehydration. No hygiene. Bedsores because nobody's turning them.
A lot of times neglect comes down to not having enough staff. Facilities cut staff to save money. Residents pay the price.
Bedsores—pressure ulcers, pressure sores, whatever you want to call them—are almost always preventable. They happen when someone's not getting repositioned enough.
Early ones can heal if you catch them and treat them right. Advanced bedsores though? Those are serious. Painful. Get infected. Can kill someone.
Your loved one develops bedsores at a facility? Red flag. Usually means there's bigger problems with how they're running the place.
Nursing homes handle residents' meds. When they screw it up, bad things happen.
Wrong medication. Wrong dose. Skipping doses. Dangerous combinations that should've been caught.
Medication mistakes cause falls, organ problems, overdoses. Sometimes death.
Yeah, falls happen in nursing homes. But a lot of them shouldn't. Facilities are supposed to look at who's at risk for falling and do something about it.
When they don't—wet floors nobody cleaned up, bad lighting, leaving high-risk people alone—and someone gets hurt, that's on them.
I've had cases where someone with a documented history of falls gets left by themselves and ends up with a broken hip, head injury, worse.
Yelling. Threatening. Isolating people. Humiliating them. Emotional abuse does just as much damage as physical stuff sometimes.
You'll see depression, withdrawal, anxiety, behavior changes, being scared of certain workers.
More common than people want to believe. Any unwanted sexual contact or behavior.
Devastating for families. Needs sensitive handling but also aggressive legal action.
Staff or others taking advantage financially. Stealing money, belongings. Getting residents to sign things. Using their credit cards or bank accounts without permission.
Often happens alongside other abuse.
Signs Your Loved One's Being Abused
How do you know something's wrong?
Injuries you can't explain—bruises, cuts, burns, broken bones. Bad hygiene—dirty clothes, smell, messy appearance. Losing weight, dehydrated. Bedsores. Mood changes—pulling away, depressed, anxious, scared. Won't talk openly, especially if staff's around. Things missing or weird financial stuff happening.
See these signs? Trust your gut. Show up at random times. Ask questions. Write everything down. Get a lawyer involved.
Illinois lets you recover different kinds of money when a nursing home's abused or neglected your family member.
Medical bills for treating whatever the abuse caused. Past stuff, future stuff. Pain and suffering—money for the physical and emotional hell they went through. Emotional distress for family who saw it or dealt with the aftermath.
If your loved one died from the abuse or neglect, you can file wrongful death. That covers losing them, funeral costs, everything the family goes through.
Really bad cases—facility knew about problems and didn't do anything, or intentional abuse—Illinois allows punitive damages. That's money meant to punish them.
Nursing home cases aren't simple. These places have lawyers, insurance companies protecting them. They fight hard.
You've got to prove the facility or workers didn't do their job right. Need medical experts, nursing experts, people who can explain what proper care looks like.
Also got to prove it caused the actual injuries. Can't just say something bad happened.
Nursing homes will say injuries were already there. They'll say the person fell on their own even though they did everything right. They'll blame you for not saying something sooner.
I've spent years getting to know experts who review these cases. I know how to get past their defenses and show what really went down.
Went to Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College—one of the best trial programs out there. Did "The Edge" program. Spent over $100,000 on training. Because I want to be as good as I can be for clients.
Gone up against every major nursing home company in Illinois. Their resources don't scare me.
Find Out What YOUR Case Might Be Worth...for free.
Illinois has laws protecting nursing home residents. The Nursing Home Care Act lays out what residents' rights are and what facilities have to do.
Right to be free from abuse and neglect. Right to proper care, food, help with daily stuff, dignity.
Facilities break these rules? They can get held accountable under Illinois law.
Generally got two years from when you found out about the abuse to file. But don't wait around. Evidence disappears. Staff quit or get fired. Records go missing. Sooner you move, better off you are.
After what happened with my father, I decided: what happened to my family isn't happening to yours.
I only represent injured people. Never nursing homes. Never insurance companies. Never the other side. Your fight is my fight.
Some lawyers only want slam dunks. Case looks tough? They pass.
Not me. I take difficult cases. Every victim of nursing home abuse deserves someone fighting for them.
Biggest complaint I hear about lawyers: "Never heard from them. Couldn't get them on the phone."
Won't happen with me. My office keeps you in the loop. You call, someone picks up. Questions? We answer them.
We talk like friends. That's how I treat people—like family.
Consultations are relaxed. Zero pressure. I don't chase people. Don't use pushy sales garbage.
Hiring a lawyer's your choice. Work with someone you actually like and trust. Someone pressuring you? That's not your lawyer.
Either way, we end up as friends.
Think your loved one's being abused or neglected? Here's what you do:
Get them out if you can and it's safe. Get medical help—treat injuries, document what happened. Take pictures of anything you can see. Write everything down while it's fresh—dates, times, what you saw, who you talked to. Keep every piece of paper—medical records, care plans, whatever contract you signed with the place.
Report it to Illinois Department of Public Health. File a complaint. They investigate.
Then call me. (312) 500-4500. Free consultation. I'll listen. Answer questions. Give you straight talk about what options you've got.
Don't talk to the nursing home's lawyers or insurance people without your own lawyer. They're not helping you. They're protecting the facility.
Office is downtown, right across from the Courthouse. We settle most cases pretty quick, but we also go to Court when we need to.
You want a lawyer the insurance companies know isn't scared to fight. Someone who can handle going downtown to court if things get difficult.
I work with families all over Chicago. Every neighborhood—Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Rogers Park, Hyde Park, South Loop, Bridgeport, Pilsen, Humboldt Park, Albany Park, Andersonville, West Loop, Beverly, Mount Greenwood, everywhere.
Suburbs too—Evanston, Skokie, Oak Park, Cicero, Naperville, Aurora, Joliet, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Elmhurst, Oak Lawn, Orland Park, Bolingbrook, Wheaton, Downers Grove. Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, Will County, Kane County.
I come to clients too. Your house, restaurant, coffee shop. Wherever you're comfortable. Or phone. Whatever works.
Your loved one got hurt because the place didn't give proper care? Probably abuse or neglect. Call me. We'll talk it through. Usually can tell you pretty quick if you've got something.
Nothing up front. Zero.
Work on contingency. Only get paid if you win. Don't pay out of pocket. I cover everything—records, experts, filing fees, all of it.
Don't pay unless you get paid first.
Pretty good deal, right?
Lot of nursing homes make people sign those. Can be challenged though. Especially if someone signed under pressure or didn't really understand what they were signing.
Don't assume it blocks you. Let me look at it.
Yeah. Loved one died from nursing home abuse or neglect? Wrongful death lawsuit. Illinois lets families go after compensation.
Heartbreaking cases. Need someone with experience who actually cares.
Depends. Some settle in a few months. Some take longer, especially if we end up in trial.
Move things as fast as I can while still fighting for every dollar.
They do that a lot. Say the person was difficult. Say injuries couldn't be helped.
That's why we get medical experts who can explain what care should've looked like and how they failed.
By law they can't. If you're worried about it though, we can talk about moving them somewhere else.
Call anyway. Free consultation. I'll be straight with you. No case? I'll tell you. Got one? I'll explain what we can do.
No pressure. Just talking.
Way more common than people think. Illinois has tons of nursing home abuse cases. Thousands of complaints filed with the state every year.
It's a real problem.
Handled cases all over. Big chains, small places. Doesn't matter what name's on the building—they didn't give proper care, they should answer for it.
Yeah. You're entitled to them. Sometimes facilities make it hard. I can help if they're being difficult about it.
Handle those too. Nursing homes, assisted living, memory care, rehab centers. Legal stuff's similar.
Illinois Department of Public Health. Hotline's 1-800-252-4343. But call me too so we can talk about legal options.
Abuse is usually intentional—hitting, yelling, stealing. Neglect is not doing what you're supposed to—not feeding, not helping to bathroom, not turning them.
Both serious. Both can be lawsuits.
Most settle before trial. If they won't offer fair money though, I'll take it to court. Them knowing I'll go to trial actually helps settlement talks.
Hiring Scott was one of the best moves I have made in my life. Scott is a down to earth person and attorney. Scott is a 5 star first class act who really knows his stuff. The Judge said his presentation was one of if not the best he had ever seen. Take my advice, hire Scott I’m sure you’ll be 200% satisfied I was.
Scott not only cares about the case, but he truly cares about his clients and that makes him the best lawyer I have ever met and hired! He won my case! He is thorough in everything he does. I highly recommend Scott, and will always refer him to family and friends.
I hired Scott DeSalvo upon a friend’s recommendation. His office kept me informed of developments as they happened, and I felt the settlement reached was fair considering my injuries. I would highly recommend Scott DeSalvo to represent your personal injury case.
Thing you got to understand: nursing homes are businesses. A lot owned by big corporations. They care about money.
Cut corners on staffing and care to boost profits. Residents suffer. When abuse happens, they've got legal teams whose whole job is protecting the company—not your loved one.
Try to settle cheap and quick. Hope you go away. Drag things out to frustrate you.
Don't let them.
Need someone who knows what they're doing and isn't scared of them.
Your loved one's been abused or neglected? I can help.
Can't undo it. But I can fight to get you every dollar Illinois law says you deserve. And hold the place accountable so maybe it doesn't happen to the next family.
Remember: No money out of pocket. No fee until we win. Free consultation 24/7/365.
(312) 500-4500. Any time. Middle of the night, doesn't matter. You're up at 3 AM worried? Call.
Consultation's free. Advice is free. Peace of mind knowing someone's listening? That's worth something.
Don't wait. Evidence goes away. People forget. Nursing home's lawyers are already working. You need someone on your side.
Your fight is my fight.
There's one nursing home abuse lawyer I want you to call. Bet you can guess who. (Yeah, that's my sense of humor.)
Call (312) 500-4500 now.
Main Office:
1000 Jorie Blvd Ste 204
Oak Brook, IL 60523
New Cases: 312-500-4500
Office: 1 312-895-0545
Fax: 1 866-629-1817
service@desalvolaw.com
Chicago and Other Suburban Offices
By Appointment Only
