What You Should Know About Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing homes are meant to provide a safe and friendly environment for elderly folks who can no longer care for themselves. While it is never anyone wish to move a loved one into a nursing home, sometimes medical necessity demands it. However, the sad truth is that some nursing home employees take advantage of and abuse the sick and elderly. Nursing home abuse can come in various forms, including physical, verbal, financial, or sexual abuse.

What Are Some Warning Sign of Nursing Home Abuse?

It is important to know what warning signs to look for when a loved one is admitted to a nursing home. Some of these signs include:

• Bedsores on the elderly person’s body
• Unexplained injuries like bruises, cuts, or broken bones
• Unusual smell in the nursing home or other signs of unsanitary conditions
• Change in the pattern of behavior in your loved one

If any of these symptoms are present, the individual that has admitted the elderly person to the nursing home should immediately talk to the nursing home management and bring light to the issue so that it can be resolved. However, if the nursing home management is not able to provide assistance, a claim must be filed. A claim for such issues can be filed either with the local Department of Health or an attorney can assist a client in filing a civil claim to compensate for the elderly patient’s injuries. Do not hesitate to raise any concerns you may have, because while you may believe you are crazy for thinking abuse may be happening, it really does happen.

After the claim has been lodged, an investigation is conducted to ensure that the issue is resolved immediately. If an issue is present, it is corrected and compensation may be provided to the elderly person that has suffered the abuse. Nursing homes are a place where elderly people should be able to live out their lives in peace and harmony but in order to ensure that harmony, the individual responsible for the elderly person should be mindful of signs of nursing home abuse.

Who Can I Call For Help?

The law firm of d’Oliveira & Associates has over 30 years of experience handling personal injury cases. If you believe that a loved one has suffered from nursing home abuse, do not hesitate to contact a lawyer that can help you understand your legal rights, and fight to defend them for you if necessary. You may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, scarring, among other losses. Additionally, we will charge you no legal fees unless we have secured a settlement or award for you or your loved one. Feel free to call us toll-free at 1-800-992-6878 or fill out a contact form online, for a free (no-obligation) case evaluation.

Visit our website for more information regarding nursing home abuse and what help our Personal Injury Law Firm can offer you. You can find this original article here on our Personal Injury Blog.