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When you select a nursing home to take care of the needs of a loved one, you expect them to put health and safety first. Whether the person is there because they are aging or is vulnerable because of physical or mental disabilities, they rely on the staff at the nursing home to meet their everyday needs. The very vulnerabilities that make them dependent can make it more difficult for them to express concerns about abuse or neglect. Instead, family members, caregivers, and other loved ones need to be on the lookout for signs of neglect – and contact a respected personal injury attorney when they discover it.
When you suspect nursing home abuse, the safety of your loved one needs to be the priority. Sometimes, that can mean calling 911, moving the person out immediately, or reporting abuse to the facility. The steps you need to take depend on the severity of the circumstances. While an Aurora nursing home abuse lawyer cannot physically intervene and get your loved one to immediate safety, they can help you decide the best steps to take after you discover abuse.
When people hear the term “abuse,” they often think of physical violence like battery. However, while nursing home abuse can include physical battery, it often includes other types of wrongdoing, as well. The main types of potential abuse include physical abuse, mental or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial manipulation, and neglect.
Physical abuse is often one of the most apparent types. It involves a staff member using any degree of unnecessary physical roughness with a person in a nursing home. Some examples include hitting, shoving, pushing, kicking, slapping, or using restraints unnecessarily. Victims may experience bruises, cuts, marks, or even broken bones. They may be reluctant to report the abuse, and those with cognitive difficulties may be unable to report the abuse or might have conditions that make reports of abuse more difficult to believe.
While physical abuse often leaves signs, mental and emotional abuse is more difficult to detect. Nursing home residents depend on staff members to meet their daily needs, which leaves them particularly vulnerable to emotional abuse. Some examples of abusive behavior include belittling or name-calling, social isolation, withholding food, water, or medication, and keeping residents from participating in fun activities. Emotional withdrawal, fearfulness, and depression can be indicators that a resident is being mentally abused.
An Aurora lawyer could use all of this evidence in a claim for damages due to nursing home abuse.
Sexual abuse is one of the most horrifying types of nursing home abuse. Staff members might try to assault residents, and so could visitors or other residents. It is particularly troubling because some other residents in the nursing home may have cognitive impairments that impact their sexual impulsivity, increasing the likelihood of assault. Particularly for older adults, there may be shame and stigma surrounding sexual abuse, reducing the likelihood of reporting. Signs of sexual trauma or sexually transmitted diseases should prompt an investigation into sexual abuse.
Neglect may be the most prevalent type of nursing home abuse. While the other categories involve actions, neglect usually involves inaction. In other words, the caregivers fail to provide the correct level of care to the resident. Given that residents are often entirely dependent on their caregivers, neglect can have severe—even deadly—consequences. Some examples of nursing home neglect are failure to feed a resident, hygiene issues, bed sores, and dehydration.
Often, multiple types of abuse can coincide, and a nursing home abuse attorney in Aurora must help determine who is perpetrating what type of abuse – and file a claim to seek justice.
Learning that a family member has been abused can leave you feeling angry and looking for justice. Fortunately, the law can be a powerful weapon for holding nursing home staff and nursing homes responsible for abuse. In addition to getting financial compensation for victims, it could also prevent future heinous actions from occurring.
However, bringing these claims can be challenging for residents and their families. To determine the best course of action for your family, meet with an Aurora nursing home abuse lawyer. McCready Law will help you understand the claim process and the potential damages available in the claim. Schedule a consultation to learn more.