A nursing home neglect case is a records case, and the records are created by the defendant, kept by the defendant, and frequently incomplete in ways that are themselves the evidence. This article explains what federal law requires of a facility, why the care plan and the fall risk assessment are the two documents that decide most cases, and what a family should do in the first week after an injury. It follows a hypothetical resident whose fall was never charted to show how the gap in the record becomes the proof. It explains the difference between an ordinary negligence claim and a professional malpractice claim, which changes the deadline, the expert requirement, and the damages available. It covers the arbitration agreement families sign at admission without reading and what can and cannot be done about it. It closes with the regulatory and reporting routes that work faster than litigation.