Personal Injury Lawyer
The majority of family members do not relish the idea of placing their elderly loved one in a nursing home facility. This is often not a decision that is made lightly, as relatives weigh the pros and cons of all their options. Ultimately, placing their senior loved one may be what has to happen, especially if he or she was diagnosed with a condition that requires around the clock care. It may then be devastating to find out that abuse and neglect is happening at the nursing home facility.
Family members who are suspicious that nursing home abuse is occuring to their cherished relative, may have questions about how to respond. Here are some of the most telling signs that your loved one may be suffering from nursing home neglect, abuse or other mistreatment:
What if there are physical injuries or illnesses that cannot be explained?
Your loved one may be suffering abuse if he or she has unexplained broken bones, fractures, bruises, welts, cuts, bed sores, odd weight loss, dehydration, or newly diagnosed conditions related to lack of cleanliness or nutrition. Staff may hit, pinch, slap or otherwise make harmful physical contact with a resident to make him or her cooperate. Staff may force the resident to skip meals, overuse restraints or fail to attend to urgent needs. If you have seen any of these physical signs in your loved one, it may be time to take action through legal intervention.
What if my loved one is having behavior changes?
A senior relative may suddenly seem on edge, fearful, worried and depressed after being at the nursing home for a short or long period of time. Your loved one may even have emotional outbursts where he or she refuses to eat, rejects taking prescription medication, or starts to withdraw from others. Family members may not want to shrug this off as signs of adjusting to a new way of living, as it may very well be that something painful is going on behind the scenes.
My loved one’s finances don’t look right, what could be happening?
If staff of the nursing home has access to a resident’s financial information, he or she may steal money from accounts in little increments over time or in one large chunk. Family members may want to keep an eye on their loved one’s accounts to make sure there are no suspicious activity or use of money that no one can explain.
What can I do to help my loved one from suffering more abuse?
You may want to consider relocating your loved one immediately. Then, perhaps the best thing you can do after that is to meet with a qualified nursing home lawyer Memphis, TN trusts for more information about how to take action against the nursing home facility for such hurtful conduct. It can be terribly heartbreaking to find out that your loved one is not living in a safe environment. There are legal actions you can take to help prevent incidents like this from ever happening again.
Thank you to our friends and contributors at Darrell Castle & Associates, PLLC for their insight into personal injuries and nursing home abuse.