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When our aging loved ones require care beyond our capabilities at home, family members seek the best possible nursing home within their financial capabilities. Nursing homes offer glossy brochures promising skilled, compassionate care with respect for the human dignity of the elderly. Sadly, many nursing homes do not live up to their promises. Nursing home abuse is a serious problem in the United States with as many as five million reported cases of elder abuse each year—and the numbers are believed to be widely underreported.
When a loved one experiences abuse in a nursing home, they may not be willing or cognitively able to report their abuse. It’s important for anyone with an aging family member in a nursing home to recognize signs of nursing home abuse.
Neglect is the most common form of nursing home abuse, resulting in injuries, dehydration, malnutrition, infection, and death. Neglect in nursing homes occurs due to understaffing, inadequate staff training, poor supervision, and frequent staff turnover rates. Signs of neglect in a nursing home resident include the following:
Neglect in nursing homes is a silent killer; dehydration and malnutrition cause rapid physical and cognitive decline. Poor hygiene and untreated bedsores lead to infection and deadly sepsis. When nursing home staff fails to properly monitor residents, the resident risk of falls, fractures, and head injuries increases.
Physical abuse such as hitting, punching, kicking, pushing, and unnecessary restraint use is an egregious violation of the nursing home administrator’s duty to ensure that residents are treated with care, compassion, and respect. Abuse may happen from caregivers, nursing home maintenance staff, or other residents. Signs that a nursing home resident is experiencing physical abuse include the following:
About 1.9% of nursing home residents report sexual abuse, but experts believe that sexual abuse in nursing homes is underreported due to shame and stigma.
Emotional abuse in nursing homes is a significant problem and can lead to depression, anxiety, and decreased quality of life in elderly residents. Victims of this type of abuse often do not report the problem due to feelings of shame or fear of repercussions from caregivers. Emotional abuse includes yelling, berating, belittling, name-calling, mocking, and bullying. Signs of emotional abuse include:
When nursing home caregivers have access to a resident’s financial accounts and other information, it’s not uncommon for financial abuse to take place. Signs of financial abuse in nursing homes include the following:
Financial abuse is rampant in the elderly who may be cognitively impaired or unable to properly monitor or manage their accounts.
If your loved one experienced abuse in a nursing home, contact the Phoenix nursing home abuse attorneys at Knapp & Roberts today for a free evaluation of your case. We can bring financial accountability and a sense of justice to your case.
The personal injury attorneys in Phoenix, Arizona, at Knapp & Roberts have the compassion and trial lawyer skills to tell your story to a jury. We will get to know you and your family so that we can help the jury understand what has happened to you and your family and how it has changed your lives. Obtain the compensation necessary for the injuries and losses you have suffered.
