When our loved ones get older, and we send them to nursing homes to get the care we can no longer give them, we hope that they are being treated by a trusting staff. But unfortunately, nursing home abuse is more common than most of us would like to believe. Oftentimes, nursing home workers take advantage of a senior’s weakened state by physically and mentally abusing and manipulating them.
And abuse doesn’t only happen in nursing homes. It can occur with at-home caregivers as well.
If you believe your loved one is being neglected or mistreated, get help from our Smyrna personal injury lawyers today. Call Bader Scott Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.
What Are the Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse can occur in many ways. Here are the five types of nursing home and elder abuse.
- Physical: Physical abuse can include any type of unnecessary physical contact, such as kicking, hitting, punching, spitting, choking, or unnecessary physical or chemical restraint. It can also include refusing to give nursing home residents their medication.
- Sexual: Sexual abuse includes any “nonconsenting sexual contact of any kind” and sexual contact with anyone unable to give consent. This could include nursing home residents with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. It can also include forcing a resident to watch pornography or taking suggestive photos without the resident’s consent.
- Emotional: Emotional abuse can include threatening, screaming at, humiliating, or isolating a resident.
- Financial: Financial abuse could include coercing or threatening a resident into changing their will or power of attorney, stealing money or checks, or billing for services that were not necessary or not performed.
- Neglect: Nursing home neglect can be intentional or unintentional. It can include not giving necessary medical or dental care, failing to do necessary range of motion exercises, failing to move residents to prevent bed sores, failing to give residents food, water, or medication, not regularly bathing residents or changing their sheets, isolating residents, or ignoring fall prevention plans (e.g., using one person for a bed transfer instead of two).
For a free legal consultation with a nursing home abuse lawyer serving Smyrna, call (404) 888-8888
What Are Some Common Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?
Common signs of abuse include the following:
- Physical Signs of Abuse: If you see cuts and bruises on your loved one’s body, these are clear warning signs of abuse. If your loved one is falling a lot or has bedsores, these could indicate abuse as well.
- Malnutrition: If your loved one is losing weight, this could be a sign that the care staff is not making an effort to feed them properly.
- Mismanaged Medication: Your loved one should be getting their proper medication as needed. If the staff is not providing them with the medication they need, this is considered abuse.
- Roaming Off: If you are getting a lot of reports that your loved one is roaming off, it could be a sign that the care staff is not giving them the attention they require.
- Fear of Their Caregiver: If your loved one seems afraid of their caregiver (or the caregiver refuses to leave you alone with your loved one), this could be a sign of abuse.
- Financial Abuse: Signs of financial abuse include changes in their will, missing possessions, and discrepancies in their bank accounts.
Smyrna Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Near Me (404) 888-8888
Why Does Nursing Home Abuse Happen?
While many of us don’t want to believe that people can be so uncaring as to take advantage of the elderly, it happens more often than you would think. Often, the staff at nursing homes are underpaid and just don’t care enough about their jobs. They are neglectful in their duties, and your loved one could experience a lapse in care as a result.
Mismanagement and poorly trained staff increase the risk of neglect and abuse. Many nursing homes are also understaffed, which can make it difficult to meet all residents’ needs. It can also lead to overworked staff acting out in anger.
To make matters worse, in some cases, the elderly can not speak or can not fully communicate to let relatives know about the abuse they are experiencing. Therefore, they must suffer in silence.
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What Should I Do if I Suspect My Loved One is Being Abused?
If you think your loved one may be a victim of nursing home abuse, it is essential that you team up with a reliable nursing home abuse lawyer. Trying to file a claim against a nursing home or caregiving facility is a complicated process and one that can be difficult to take on independently.
If you are looking for a trustworthy nursing home abuse attorney in the Smyrna, GA area, the Bader Scott Injury Lawyers team is highly recommended.
You should also make a complaint with Georgia’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
Our Smyrna nursing home abuse attorneys have years of experience in the field of personal injury law. We’ll use it to fight for the justice you and your loved one deserve. If you lost a loved one to nursing home abuse, our team can file a wrongful death claim on their behalf, seeking justice and holding their abuser accountable.
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Can I Afford to Hire a Nursing Home Attorney?
Our team takes cases on a contingency-fee basis. That means you pay nothing upfront to get started and you only pay our attorney’s fees if we win your case. This way, you are able to focus on ensuring your loved one’s safety, not on how you’ll pay for a lawyer.
Get our help with no financial risk to you today.
Our Smyrna Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Are Ready to Help
You have enough on your plate right now, trying to ensure your loved one’s safety while also looking for a new facility or handling their care on your own. Our team will handle seeking justice on your behalf. We will investigate your concerns, build a robust case, handle communication with the insurer and any other involved parties, negotiate for a fair settlement, and prepare your case for trial.
You don’t need to handle this on your own. Our team is ready to help you and your family. Call Bader Scott Injury Lawyers today for help.
Call or text (404) 888-8888 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form