Identifying and Responding to Nursing Home Abuse
Personal Injury Lawyer
It is never an easy decision to place a senior relative in a nursing home. Then to find out your loved one has been abused or neglected by caregivers at the facility, can be enough to tip someone into a frenzy of what to do next. We encourage you to reach out to an attorney if your elderly relative has been mistreated while in the nursing home. Family members who are aware of what abuse and neglect looks like in this type of living situation, can identify when something isn’t right and then respond quickly.
We know mistreatment happens more often than people think, and an attorney can help you seek justice for such poor care.
General Signs of Abuse or Neglect
There are so many ways that nursing home abuse or neglect may show itself. Some signs may be obvious, in which you witness mistreatment unfold before your own eyes. Or, it can be more subtle, in which you slowly start to notice your loved one has become withdrawn and fearful but won’t tell you why. Here are just a few general signs that abuse or neglect may be happening to your elderly relative:
- There are physical marks on his or her body, including bruises, wounds, abrasions, broken bones, welts, cuts, and bedsores
- When you visit, the caregivers do not let you see your relative right away, or refuse to let you see him or her entirely
- There is poor customer service, in which staff rarely answers the phone. This may be a sign that there are not enough caregivers to accomplish tasks, meaning your relative’s care may get neglected
- Your relative’s personality has started to change for the worst, has emotional outbursts, cries often, increased nervousness, and general fear
- Doctors have prescribed your relative sedatives to help keep him or her calm, instead of addressing concerns
- Caregivers do not permit the family to be alone with their relative
- Your relative refuses to be cared for by a certain caregiver
- Your relative refuses to take prescription medication or eat, as a cry for help
- The room is dirty and bedsheets haven’t been cleaned in some time
- Your relative has unexplained weight loss or weakness
The Emotional Component
Attorneys can empathize with how emotional it may be to realize your loved one is being abused, neglected, or otherwise mistreated when you are not around. You may have chosen a nursing home facility in good faith, and now regret your decision. A law firm will do what is within their power to get your relative out of that home safely, and that he or she receives retribution for what happened.
Please call today to book your consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer. They want to see your loved one safe, happy, and stress-free. Contact an attorney before the staff have a chance to abuse or neglect your senior loved one any further.