Recognize Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect Signals
Nursing home assault and abuse can take the form of physical abuse, sexual abuse or mental abuse. Each form of assault can cause significant injuries to the nursing home resident and cause loss of dignity, self-respect and quality of life.
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SIGNS OF NURSING HOME ABUSE
In many circumstances assault or abuse is difficult to discover since the resident may not tell family members out of fear of punishment by the staff or they may feel shame.
Recognizing the signs of nursing home abuse is important. Some warning signs may include:
- unusual bruises or cuts
- broken bones
- unexplained hair loss
- changes in behavior of nursing home staff towards family members or the resident
- unexplained changes in the behavior of the resident to certain staff members
NURSING HOME SEXUAL ABUSE
Nursing home sexual abuse involves any inappropriate touching or unwanted sexual activity. Many nursing home residents are prone to sexual abuse. This is especially true for younger nursing home residents, who often are in the nursing home because they are immobile or unable to communicate.
Nursing home sexual abuse can occur at the hand of a staff member, another resident or a visitor. In many cases the nursing home may be held accountable for these criminal actions if they were negligent. Some examples of nursing home negligence which could result in sexual assault include:
- Inadequate background checks for employees
- Insufficient supervision of employees
- Failure to properly supervise to prevent sexual abuse by another resident
- Failure to monitor visitors or allowing them to be in a position to have non-consensual sexual activity with a resident
INFORMATION: Nursing Home Employee Criminal Background Searches
NURSING HOME MENTAL ABUSE
Abuse can also take the form of psychological or emotional abuse. Nursing home mental abuse may be caused by verbal degradation, threats, manipulation or forced isolation. In most situations, mental abuse suffered by residents is caused by nursing home employees who were not properly screened, trained or supervised.
Nursing home mental abuse is often difficult to prove. However, where mental abuse is present there are usually other forms of neglect and abuse as well which may be more evident, such as physical abuse, depriving the resident of food or failing to reposition the resident resulting in bedsores.
NURSING HOME ASSAULT AND ABUSE LAWSUIT CLAIMS
If you suspect that a friend or loved one has suffered an injury from nursing home abuse or assault, request a free consultation and legal claim evaluation to determine if they may have a claim. If you believe that the abuse is continuing, you should also contact your local police department so a formal investigation can be conducted regarding any potential criminal activity.
The nursing home abuse attorneys at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. review and investigate potential lawsuits nationwide. If injuries are suffered as a result of abuse or assault which could have been prevented, your loved one and family may be entitled to compensation. There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained. However, every claim has a deadline, so it is important that you review any potential claim with a qualified nursing home neglect lawyer as soon as possible.