When an older family member is no longer able to live alone, the family must make difficult decisions about their loved one’s care. Finding a reputable nursing home and placing the loved one there for safety and care is frequently the solution.
This decision allows families to be less concerned about the person and relieves family members of the everyday task of caring for the family member. What happens, though, when a nursing facility neglects or enables patient abuse?
What is Nursing Home Abuse?
Physical abuse, mental abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, financial abuse, or patient exploitation are all examples of nursing home abuse. Nursing home abuse occurs when patients in long-term care institutions or nursing homes experience physical, psychological, or emotional injury as a result of their caregivers’ purposeful acts or neglect.
Helping Those Suffering Nursing Home Abuse
It is regrettable that nursing home resident abuse is so common in America. Law companies that represent families in initiating lawsuits against nursing facilities that allow their clients to be abused are available to assist. It is important to seek legal counsel to assess if a nursing home resident’s injury or complaint is the result of an accident or nursing home abuse or neglect. This is difficult to show without the assistance of expert investigators from law firms such as Hughey Law Firm.
Signs To Look For
When a family fears their loved one is being abused, there are always symptoms of abuse to look for. They are as follows:
- Physical abuse signs for example bruising or welts, broken bones, unexplained burns, and most commonly, the caregiver refusing to leave you alone with your loved one.
- Emotional abuse like low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, hopeless feelings of the patient, changes in eating and sleeping habits, self-injury, crying, etc
- Sexual abuse signs most commonly include unexplained STDS and vaginal bleeding without explanation, bruises that may be seen on breasts, and vaginal area, damaged clothing, and bloodstains, and fear of a caregiver.
- Neglect is life-threatening and signs like medical needs not being met, and failing to meet nutrition can be seen in this category. Other things include unkempt spaces, residents too heavily medicated, etc.
- Financial abuse signs are harder to detect. It includes sudden or unexplained transfers of money to another individual, change in the will, ‘ personal belonging going missing, and forged signatures on financial documents.
Residents have a right to proper and safe care in any nursing home in the world.
Transferring the individual to another facility is insufficient since it allows the abusers to continue abusing other patients. It is necessary to report poor nursing homes to proper government bodies so they can be closed. Nursing home residents are protected by federal statutes. A law firm can ensure that such rights are upheld or seek restitution from nursing homes that fail to meet the criteria for resident care.