Nursing home abuse is one of the most saddening occurrences that we deal with in our personal injury practice. When you entrust a nursing home with taking care of elderly loved ones, you entrust the nursing home with taking care of your heart. When that trust is violated, nursing homes and wrongful employees deserve to be brought to justice, and the law provides that victims of abuse are entitled to receive compensation for their injuries.
In addition to compensating victims for injuries, though, nursing home abuse lawsuits also serve to raise awareness and prevent future instances of nursing home abuse.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss common instances of nursing home abuse, warning signs of abuse, and how a personal injury lawyer can assist victims and their families. For more information or to set up a free consultation, contact our office to speak with a Miami nursing home abuse lawyer on our team.
Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse
According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 in 6 people over the age of 60 will experience abuse or neglect in a community living setting. Nursing home abuse can take many different forms, including physical abuse, neglect, and other types of abuse and mistreatment.
Physical Abuse
Florida law provides that physical abuse of a nursing home resident is a crime which includes intentional action that either results in physical harm, directly causes physical harm, or encourages another person to physically harm a nursing home resident. Physical abuse can give rise to criminal charges, but even cases that don’t result in criminal charges can nonetheless give rise to civil liability. That’s where our team comes in – we represent victims of nursing home abuse and their families in civil actions seeking compensation from nursing homes.
Neglect and Lack of Care
Neglect is the most common type of nursing home abuse, and it occurs when a nursing home fails to provide for a resident’s basic needs, including nutrition, physical needs, and medical needs. Common examples of neglect in nursing homes include:
- Lack of supervision, leading to falls or injuries
- Failure to provide food or water
- Inadequate medical care, including withholding medication
- Not assisting residents who are incontinent
- Failure to move or turn bedridden residents
Unfortunately, nursing home neglect often goes unnoticed until it has been occurring for a sustained period of time because neglect rarely causes an injury in the first instance. Rather, neglect usually occurs as a pattern of wrongful behavior. If you suspect that a loved one is being neglected at a nursing home, a nursing home abuse lawyer in Miami can assist you in seeking evidence to determine whether neglect is occurring.
Other Types of Abuse
In addition to neglect and abuse, less common types of nursing home abuse nonetheless occur, giving rise to liability for damages. These types of abuse include:
- Sexual abuse
- Emotional and mental abuse
- Financial abuse and theft
- Medical malpractice
Warning Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
As previously stated, nursing home abuse can be difficult to detect, and it often goes unnoticed before a serious injury occurs. However, common warning signs of nursing home abuse and neglect include:
- General changes in health status, including dehydration and weight loss
- Bed sores and pressure ulcers
- Unsanitary conditions in the nursing home
- Intense medication or sedation by staff
- Unexplained wounds or injuries
- Changes in demeanor or mental state
- Becoming withdrawn, quiet, or depressed
The best way to detect nursing home abuse is to seek information and trust your instincts. If you have a feeling that a loved one is being mistreated in a nursing home, you need to investigate that instinct as much as you possibly can. Even before consulting with a nursing home abuse lawyer, Miami residents generally have a good idea of whether neglect is occurring. An attorney can assist family members in confirming their suspicions.
Contact Aigen Injury Law Today
If you suspect that a loved one is being abused or neglected in a nursing home, you should contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible. At Aigen Injury Law, we take pride in seeking justice for individuals who have been mistreated or injured by bad actors.
Because of that commitment to justice, victims of nursing home abuse and neglect are among our most important clients. Individuals and entities who neglect or abuse our most vulnerable citizens deserve to be brought to swift justice, and if we are able to take your case, we will fight hard to see justice through.
Contact us today to set up a free, no-obligation consultation with a member of our team.
This content has been reviewed and approved by lawyers at the Aigen Injury Law.