Geriatric Medicine Malpractice

There are many people who live on Cape Cod and the surrounding areas who are considered geriatric from a medical standpoint. Thus, they will typically need medical care from a physician that specializes in treating elderly patients. Frequently, however, doctors attending to older individuals fail to recognize concerning symptoms or neglect to provide prompt and thorough care, which can lead to geriatric medicine malpractice. If you or a loved one suffered harm due to negligent care of a provider tasked with caring for senior citizens, you may be owed compensation and should confer with a lawyer. The dedicated Cape Cod medical malpractice attorneys of The Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III, are adept at helping people harmed by incompetent care seek compensation for their losses, and if you engage our services, we will fight zealously on your behalf. We have more than one hundred and fifty years of combined experience which has enabled us to recover multiple multi-million dollar damages awards for the parties we represent.

Even healthy people may develop chronic health issues as they age, such as heart and lung conditions, arthritis, and diabetes. Further, older people are not only more vulnerable to suffering from concerning medical issues, but they also generally have different treatment needs and goals than younger patients. There are doctors that specialize in treating elderly patients in the practice area known as geriatric medicine. Such providers should be trained to recognize signs and symptoms that are cause for concern in the elderly, but sadly they do not always address concerning health issues or provide appropriate treatment in a prompt manner, which can cause significant health concerns. For example, diabetes may go undiagnosed and, therefore, untreated, which can damage a person’s vision and kidneys and could lead to the loss of a limb. Heart attacks and strokes that could be prevented commonly occur in elderly patients who do not receive proper care. Additionally, neurological and cognitive issues, which can lead to a rapid decline, may go unnoticed if a doctor does not conduct a thorough examination.

Generally, the harm caused by physicians and other healthcare providers is not intentional; rather, it is caused by carelessness. As such, in most geriatric medicine malpractice cases, the plaintiff will assert a negligence claim against the defendant. In Massachusetts, a plaintiff alleging medical negligence must show that the defendant had a duty to provide treatment that, at a minimum, complied with the applicable standard of care. This is the care that a reasonable and competent medical professional working in the same specialty would have provided in a similar situation. The plaintiff must then produce evidence that demonstrates that the treatment the defendant provided represents a departure from the standard of care. In other words, if a capable geriatric medicine doctor would recommend that a patient with the plaintiff’s symptoms undergo an EKG and the defendant failed to do so, it may constitute a breach of the standard of care.

The plaintiff must then show that the deviation from the standard of care caused the plaintiff’s harm. Generally, few people outside of the medical field understand the standards that would apply to a doctor practicing in geriatric medicine. In most cases, the plaintiff must retain a medical expert to explain the standard to the judge or jury and to describe how the defendant failed to comply with the standard. Expert testimony is also usually needed to prove that the defendant’s negligent care caused the plaintiff’s harm.

When older individuals entrust their health to a physician, they should be provided the competent and thorough care they deserve. If you or someone you love suffered damages due to the careless acts of a geriatric doctor, you should consult a lawyer to assess what claims you may be able to pursue. The geriatric medicine malpractice attorneys of The Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III, can craft persuasive arguments on your behalf to help you seek the best legal result possible under the circumstances surrounding your harm. We have a history of successful results, which includes multiple verdicts in excess of one million dollars. We regularly assist parties injured by incompetent medical care in cases on Cape Cod, and we can meet for consultations in Plymouth and Hyannis. You can contact us via our online form or at 888-262-6664 to set up a meeting. Nós Falamos Português.