Spotsylvania County Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Placing a loved one in a nursing home is a difficult, but often medically necessary, the decision for many families. Choosing the right nursing home can be difficult, and among the worries that loved ones may have when trusting their elders to the another’s care is nursing home abuse. Nursing home abuse may include neglect, mistreatment, and physical, verbal, or sexual assault. Due to the negative impact that this abuse can have on the abused and their families, it’s important that a Spotsylvania nursing home abuse lawyer is contacted as soon as possible.
Our personal injury attorneys understand how difficult it can be when a bond of trust between a nursing home and an elderly resident is violated. We can help our clients by pursuing justice and compensation in the wake of nursing home abuse.
Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect is a form of elder abuse in which residents placed in nursing homes do not receive adequate care and supervision, and their basic needs go unmet. This can include a lack of access to medical care, including mental health treatment, or a failure to provide necessary care in an efficient manner (leaving residents to sit in soiled clothing for extended periods, for instance). It can also include allowing health and safety hazards to develop or go uncorrected, creating unreasonable risks for residents.
Signs of Nursing Home Neglect
While most nursing home neglect goes unreported, here are signs and red flags to look for before contacting a Spotsylvania nursing home abuse lawyer:
- Bed sores
- Malnutrition and dehydration
- Soiled bedding and clothing
- Frequent accidents, injuries, and falls
- Unsanitary conditions
- Safety hazards, such as premises in disrepair
- Depression and withdrawal
- Changes in personal hygiene
- Frequent rashes, illness, and infections
- Staff being hard to reach (not returning calls, or refusing to communicate)
- Excessive conflict between residents
- Poor record keeping, or failure to report injuries to family
Nursing Home Abuse
Elder abuse takes many forms, and neglect and other types of abuse often occur simultaneously. Many of the signs and symptoms that may be indicative of nursing home neglect can also be present when physical, verbal, or sexual abuse is also occurring. Signs of these types of abuses can include:
- Bruises in different stages of healing, or in soft-tissue areas not commonly injured
- Bruising with object imprints, such as fingers, bite marks, jewelry, or straps
- Excessive fear or combativeness, especially toward one particular person
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Injury to the genital areas, breasts, or buttocks
- Inappropriate use of restraints
- Residents excessively medicated or sedated
- Name-calling, mocking, threatening residents
- Treating residents cruelly, or using punishment and isolation to control
- Resident exhibiting coping behaviors, like rocking, suckling, head banging, picking, or biting
- Unexpected death
Resident Reports of Nursing Home Abuse
Never ignore claims of mistreatment from a nursing home resident. If your loved one complains of abuse or neglect, seek immediate legal advice. However, your loved one, especially if he or she is suffering from dementia or mental decline, might not have the right language to express claims of abuse. If you believe something is just “not right,” an experienced Spotsylvania nursing home abuse lawyer can help investigate the claim and determine whether there is cause for concern.
Hiring a Spotsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
If you believe your loved one has suffered nursing home abuse or neglect, an experienced Spotsylvania nursing home abuse lawyer can help guide your family through this devastating time. Your family may be eligible to receive compensation for any abuse that has occurred, covering medical costs, psychotherapy bills, and a move to a safer nursing home. Your family may also be able to recover costs associated with your pain and suffering. If your loved one has died as the result of nursing home abuse or neglect, you may have a claim for wrongful death against the nursing home.
