Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Nursing home abuse is not something most of us want to picture happening to our senior relatives. But the truth and statistics show that many seniors living in nursing homes will experience abuse, neglect, or mistreatment at the hands of caregivers, doctors, other residents, or someone else who frequents the facility. The abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or financial. The signs of abuse can be obvious, but there are times when it is more subtle. As a nursing home abuse lawyer explains, it’s important to be aware of the broad scope of nursing home abuse signs so that you can take swift action to protect your loved one if needed.
Mysterious Injuries or Illness
One of the most obvious signs of physical abuse is injuries or illnesses that go unexplained. This can involve cuts, scrapes, bone fractures, head injuries, and more. In some cases, such injuries can happen as a result of a fall because caregivers were not paying enough attention. Or, injuries may be purposefully inflicted by caregivers or other residents. There is no excuse for mistreating a senior person, but factors that tend to contribute to nursing home abuse and neglect are staff shortages, burnout, and lack of training.
Unexplained Personality Changes
If your senior relative is being isolated, ignored, or humiliated in some way, they may begin to exhibit personality characteristics that are unlike them. For instance, your relative may suddenly become withdrawn and not want to accept visits from loved ones, even though they are usually overjoyed to see you. Another example would be if they were to have mood swings or emotional fits that they never used to have. Do not take these changes lightly, and offer more support to your loved one. It may be worth having a lawyer investigate further, such as a team member at Disparti Law Group, to see if abuse could be the culprit.
Personal Belongings Get Lost
Along with mentally or physically mistreating nursing home residents, staff may coerce seniors into giving them private financial details. When a caregiver with malintent has access to a resident’s finances, they may transfer money to themselves, make purchases using their account, or other such transactions. If you observe transactions on your loved one’s account that don’t make sense, and they don’t seem to know either, it may be worth investigating further. It is also a warning sign if suddenly their belongings go missing and it continues to happen.
Realizing that your senior loved one may be receiving a less standard of care than they deserve can be upsetting, understandably. But as a relative of someone who lives in a nursing home facility, it’s important to be aware of the warning signs, both the obvious and more subtle, so that you can take immediate action to protect them from further incidents. There is legal recourse available for those who believe their senior relative has been abused or neglected at the hands of people who are supposed to care for them properly.
