Naperville spinal cord injury cases cover at-home nursing and attendant care as part of recoverable future medical expenses when your injuries require ongoing assistance with activities of daily living.
The cost of professional caregivers, family members providing care, and nursing services are compensable damages because they directly result from injuries caused by another party’s negligence. If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury requiring daily assistance, a spinal cord injury lawyer in Naperville can help you recover compensation for lifetime care needs.
Types of At-Home Care Covered in Injury Claims
Many types of at-home nursing care could be covered under a Naperville spinal cord injury claim. These include:
Skilled Nursing Services
Skilled nursing services address complex medical needs that require licensed nurses. This includes wound care for pressure sores, catheter management, medication administration, and monitoring for complications.
Personal Care Attendants
Personal care attendants assist with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and eating. These caregivers don’t provide medical services but help with basic tasks that spinal cord injury victims cannot perform independently.
Live-in Caregivers
Live-in caregivers provide around-the-clock supervision and assistance. High-level spinal cord injuries requiring constant monitoring or frequent repositioning need live-in care rather than hourly services.
Respite Care
Respite care gives primary family caregivers necessary breaks to prevent burnout. Professional caregivers temporarily replace family members who need time for their own medical appointments, rest, or personal activities.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy and rehabilitation services help maintain function and prevent complications. In-home therapy may be needed several times weekly. Insurance companies sometimes argue that physical therapy should end after initial recovery, but ongoing maintenance therapy prevents deterioration.
Why Spinal Cord Injuries Require Ongoing Care
Paralysis eliminates the ability to perform self-care activities that most people take for granted. You cannot bathe yourself, dress independently, or use the toilet without assistance. These basic needs require help every single day for the rest of your life.
Pressure sore prevention demands regular repositioning and skin checks. Without sensation, you can’t feel developing pressure sores that form when sitting or lying in one position too long. Caregivers must reposition people with paralysis frequently and inspect skin daily to prevent life-threatening wounds.
Many spinal cord injury victims need help with catheterization, bowel programs, or managing incontinence. These deeply personal tasks require trained caregivers who understand proper techniques and infection prevention.
When Family Members Provide Care
Courts recognize that family members sacrifice employment, retirement savings, and their own well-being to provide care. The economic value of their services is recoverable regardless of whether you pay them directly.
Future uncertainties about family availability justify professional care funding. Family members age, develop health problems, or may be unable to provide care indefinitely. Your damage award must fund professional care even if family helps initially, ensuring care continues when family cannot.
Respite care needs can become essential when the family provides primary care. Even devoted family caregivers need breaks for their own health and well-being. Compensation should include professional respite care to prevent caregiver burnout and maintain care quality. It can also preserve the health of your relationship with your family.
Life Care Planners Can Prove the Value of Your Case
Life care planners provide the most comprehensive evidence of care needs and costs. These medical professionals specialize in projecting lifetime care requirements for catastrophic injuries. Your lawyer should help you access one so you can cover at-home nursing for your Naperville spinal cord injury case.
Other Experts That Can Help
Economic experts calculate the present value of projected lifetime expenses. They apply appropriate discount rates and inflation factors to convert decades of future care costs into current dollar amounts that should be awarded. Their testimony ensures adequate funding for lifetime care.
Rehabilitation specialists explain why certain care levels are medically necessary rather than luxury preferences. They testify about complications that occur without proper care and how adequate assistance prevents secondary health problems. This testimony establishes that recommended care is essential, not optional.
Vocational experts may address how care needs prevent return to work or limit employment. When you require attendant care during work hours or become too fatigued from managing disability to maintain employment, vocational experts connect care requirements to lost earning capacity.
Contact Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C.
Spinal cord injuries create lifetime care needs that deserve full compensation. If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury in Naperville requiring at-home nursing or attendant care, contact Charlie Therman Injury & Accident Lawyers, P.C. for a free consultation.
We’ll work with life care planners and medical experts to document your complete care requirements and fight for compensation that funds quality care for your entire lifetime. Choose Charlie for experienced representation that understands catastrophic injury cases and ensures you receive the resources needed to live with dignity and proper support.
