Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Serving Upper Darby

Holding Delaware County Nursing Homes and Their Corporate Owners Accountable

More than 100 years of combined trial experience and millions recovered for Pennsylvania families.

Nursing Home Neglect in Upper Darby and Delaware County

Nobody goes looking for a nursing home abuse lawyer until something has already gone wrong. A pressure sore that was never treated, a fall that was never properly reported, or a parent who can no longer sit up on their own can all raise questions about the care they received.

Upper Darby presents a unique local issue because it sits along the Cobbs Creek boundary with Philadelphia. A nursing home just minutes away may fall under a different county and court system, which can affect where a claim is investigated and filed.

That is where we start. We investigate what happened, identify where the facility failed, and pursue the people and entities responsible for the policies behind that failure.

“I can honestly say that choosing Villari Lentz and Lynam to represent me was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”

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If you find yourself in need of an attorney, I could not recommend anyone better than Tom Lynam. His knowledge of the law, attention to detail and drive to get the best results for his clients is unparalleled!

Tom and his team did a terrific job. They walked me through the process and kept me updated. The communication was excellent. They represented us very well. I would recommend them to everyone.

Tom and Caitlyn really took care of me this year. Many attorneys would not have taken on my case but they were confident, supportive and successful! Thank you so much to a great team!

My personal experience with Villari, Lentz, and Lyman was amazing. Tom Lyman worked with me, and made the process as smooth as possible. Very professional and always got back to me quickly.

Excellent, Caring, and Super Courteous keeping you informed at all times while being on top and staying a step ahead consistently without any run around!

I’ve used these guys on many occasions. They are thorough, professional, and all around great people. I highly recommend!

I was referred to Tom and his team. They did not disappoint. They worked so hard on my case. I would recommend working with them.

This firm took care of a case for me and from the first call to the office until the case was settled I was impressed with the degree of professionalism and respect I received from Tom L and his staff. They work so hard for their clients. I’d give 10 stars if I could.

Why Upper Darby Families Can Feel Confident With Us

Successfully pursuing a nursing home abuse or neglect claim means proving exactly how a facility violated mandatory state and federal care standards. Our approach is built for that:

Delaware County and Philadelphia courtroom experience. Upper Darby cases can involve Delaware County or Philadelphia depending on where the care occurred and the parties involved. We have experience in both court systems and evaluate venues as part of the case strategy.

Forensic facility audits. We examine electronic medication administration records (eMARs), digital timecards, punch detail, staffing matrices, internal shift logs, and Pennsylvania Department of Health survey findings to identify staffing shortages, missed care, and discrepancies between the care a resident needed and the care the facility actually provided.

We follow the ownership up. Responsibility may extend beyond the facility itself. We investigate parent corporations, management companies, landlords, and other entities involved in operating the facility to determine who was responsible for the policies and decisions that contributed to the harm. Our experience with operators in nearby markets, including King of Prussia, helps us recognize when the same ownership or management structures extend across facilities.

Independent clinical experts. Board-certified geriatricians, certified wound-care specialists, nursing home administrators, and life care planners who can explain a standard-of-care violation to a jury in plain language.

strong>Proven results. Our attorneys have been recognized by Philadelphia Magazine's Super Lawyers, and our nursing home cases are supported by the firm's extensive trial experience and documented recoveries.

Nursing Home Negligence Claims We Handle

Nursing home injuries can result from inadequate care, missed warning signs, unsafe conditions, medication mistakes, or failures to respond when a resident’s condition changes. We can represent Upper Darby families whose loved ones were injured in nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, personal care homes, and assisted living communities.

Bedsores & Pressure Ulcers

Stage 3 and Stage 4 pressure ulcers develop when residents are not repositioned, monitored, or given appropriate wound care on schedule.

Falls & Fractures

Broken hips, head injuries, and other serious trauma occur when facilities skip fall-risk assessments, fail to supervise, or leave transfers to a single aide.

Malnutrition & Dehydration

Residents who depend on staff for meals and fluids can suffer dangerous weight loss, dehydration, and kidney injury when basic needs go unmet.

Medication Errors

Wrong drugs, wrong doses, missed prescriptions, and unmonitored adverse reactions can be life-threatening for elderly residents.

Physical & Emotional Abuse

Residents have the right to live free from violence, intimidation, unnecessary restraints, and humiliation.

Sepsis & Untreated Infection

UTIs, wound infections, and pneumonia can become life-threatening when staff miss warning signs or delay treatment. When the alleged negligence occurs at a hospital rather than the nursing facility, the claim may instead involve medical malpractice.

Residential Care & Group Home Neglect

Neglect can also occur in residential and group-home settings. When the circumstances involve a person living in a group home rather than a nursing facility, our group home abuse lawyers can help families understand their legal options.

Meet the Attorneys

Our attorneys bring decades of trial experience to nursing home abuse, neglect, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death cases. They work with families to investigate the evidence, identify responsible parties, and build cases against negligent caregivers and long-term care providers.

Leonard G. Villari

For more than 30 years, Leonard G. Villari has represented victims of nursing home neglect, medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death. He has been recognized by Philadelphia Magazine as a Super Lawyer for more than two decades and brings extensive trial experience to complex cases involving nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, and long-term care providers.

Thomas A. Lynam, III

Thomas A. Lynam, III represents families harmed by nursing home neglect, medical negligence, catastrophic injury, and wrongful death throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. His practice includes complex claims involving negligent care, long-term care providers, and corporate healthcare entities.

What to Do If You Suspect Abuse

Acting quickly protects your loved one and preserves evidence before a facility can lose it.

Document the signs

Photograph injuries, bedsores, bruising, unsafe conditions, and weight loss. Write down dates, times, and the names of everyone you speak to.

Report it

Delaware County's Office of Services for the Aging (COSA) investigates reports of abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of residents 60 and older at 610-490-1300, or 610-622-9284 after hours. Pennsylvania's statewide Elder Abuse Helpline runs 24 hours a day at 1-800-490-8505. Reports can be made anonymously. Put your concerns to the administrator or Director of Nursing in writing as well, and ask that they be documented.

Get an independent medical opinion

Have your loved one evaluated by a physician who is not affiliated with the facility. With Delaware County's hospital network reduced, that may mean Mercy Fitzgerald in Darby, Riddle in Media, or a Philadelphia hospital — go anyway.

Request the records

sk in writing for medical charts, medication administration records, care plans, and incident reports before they can be revised or lost.

Call a lawyer before you call the insurance company

An attorney can send a preservation letter, identify every responsible party, and keep you from signing something that limits your rights.

Pennsylvania Nursing Home Laws That Affect Your Case

Minimum Staffing Requirements

Pennsylvania regulations (28 Pa. Code § 211.12) requires nursing facilities to provide a minimum of 3.2 hours of direct resident care per resident, per 24-hour period, an increase that took effect July 1, 2024. Facilities must also maintain at least one nurse aide for every 10 residents during the day, one per 11 in the evening, and one per 15 overnight.

Older Adults Protective Services Act (OAPSA)

OAPSA protects Pennsylvanians 60 and older from abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation, and requires facility employees to report suspected abuse. Whether a reporting failure occurred can be relevant to a nursing home abuse investigation.

Federal Nursing Home Reform Act

Federal law guarantees residents the right to appropriate medical care, freedom from abuse and unnecessary restraints, participation in care planning, and dignity — standards every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facility in Delaware County must meet.

Where Your Case May Be Filed

Pennsylvania's venue rules changed in 2023, allowing greater flexibility in where certain civil cases may be filed. For an Upper Darby nursing home case, the appropriate venue can depend on where the care occurred, where the defendants can be sued, and the relationships among the facility, healthcare providers, and corporate entities involved.

Because Upper Darby borders Philadelphia, some cases may involve defendants or circumstances connected to both Delaware County and Philadelphia. Depending on the parties involved, a case may also have connections outside Delaware County, including to operators based in areas like Norristown. We evaluate venues based on the facts of the case rather than assuming every Upper Darby claim belongs in the same courthouse. We evaluate venues as part of the case strategy rather than assuming every Upper Darby case belongs in the same courthouse.

Time Limits

Most Pennsylvania nursing home abuse and wrongful death claims are subject to a two-year limitations period, although the deadline and when the clock begins can depend on the facts of the case. Because evidence can become harder to preserve over time, families should seek legal advice promptly.

Compensation

Families may recover medical expenses, pain and suffering, relocation costs, emotional distress, and wrongful death damages. No fee unless we win.

Results We’ve Achieved for Families

$4,500,000.00

Wrongful Death

$300,000.00

Bedsores

$1,550,000.00

Untreated Infection

Where We Are, and Where We'll Meet You

Our office is at 100 N. 20th Street, Suite 302, Philadelphia, PA 19103, in Logan Square. From the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby it’s a direct ride on the Market-Frankford Line to 19th Street Station, then a short walk north, one seat, no transfer, no parking to find. By car it’s roughly seven miles east on Market Street or off the Schuylkill Expressway.

That location also puts us a few blocks from City Hall, where Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas cases are heard, and a straightforward drive down I-476 to the Delaware County Courthouse in Media.

You’re welcome at the office, but you don’t have to come to us. We meet families over the phone as well.

Areas We Serve around the Greater Philadelphia Area

Pennsylvania

Talk to a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer About Your Upper Darby Case

If you believe your mother, father, spouse, or another loved one has been hurt inside a nursing home, rehabilitation center, or personal care home in Upper Darby, you don’t need to have the whole story figured out before you call. You just need someone to start investigating what happened.

In a free consultation, you’ll speak directly with an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer who will listen to what happened, explain whether we believe you may have a case, and discuss what comes next. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Questions Upper Darby Families Ask Us

Who regulates nursing homes in Upper Darby?

The Pennsylvania Department of Health licenses and inspects skilled nursing facilities and publishes survey results. The federal government also evaluates certified facilities through Medicare’s Care Compare program. For residents age 60 and older, Delaware County’s COSA handles protective services reports involving abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Can I sue if my parent(s) have dementia?

Yes. Residents with Alzheimer’s disease or other cognitive impairment remain protected under Pennsylvania law. A resident’s inability to describe what happened does not prevent a family from investigating potential abuse or neglect.

Can more than one party be responsible?

Often, yes. Responsibility is not always limited to the nursing home itself. Depending on what happened, a claim may involve caregivers, administrators, management companies, or other entities involved in the resident’s care or the facility’s operation. We investigate those relationships before determining who should be included.