As lifespans increase in the United States, the average age is also increasing. This means that many of us will have to make the decision at some point to put our loved ones in a nursing home. It’s not what we want to do, but sometimes their needs grow beyond what we can manage.
Nursing home staff are supposed to take care of the elderly. When they don’t, it is time for you to take action.
Abuse in a nursing home takes many forms, but it all comes back to staff not doing their jobs. Elderly residents are often unable to communicate the abuse to their loved ones. Sometimes, they don’t even know it is taking place. This makes the especially vulnerable to those who mean them harm.
Physical Abuse
This is the most common form of nursing home abuse, accounting for 27.4 percent of the cases. This can include staff actually hitting patients as well as handling them roughly during routine procedures like bathing and exercise.
Resident-on-Resident Abuse
22.1 percent of nursing home abuse cases are resident-on-resident and can be both physical and sexual.
Psychological Abuse
19.4 percent of cases involve psychological abuse. This can be just as damaging to the elderly.
Gross Neglect
Whether it involves withholding medications, not treating injuries, or not feeding residents appropriately, gross neglect accounts for 15.3 percent of abuse cases.
Sexual Abuse
This is almost unthinkable, but it happens. 7.9 percent of nursing home abuse cases involve staff or volunteers sexually assaulting residents.
Financial Abuse
Staff has access to their residents’ private information and can use this to steal their identity or drain their bank accounts. This accounts for 7.9 percent of abuse cases.
How To Move Forward
Regardless of how someone is being abused in a nursing home, it’s time to take action. If you suspect elder abuse at a nursing home, contact the police immediately so that it can no longer continue. Then contact the Dante Law Firm for a nursing home abuse lawyer in North Miami. We want to recover compensation for damages related to any abuse your loved one suffered. There is no excuse for abusive behavior by nursing home staff and we want to help you stop it. You can contact us by clicking here or calling 305-949-2526 for a free consultation.
When you visit a loved one in the nursing home, we know the last thing you expect is to see signs that they have been abused. You put the care of the ones you love the most in the hands of nursing home staff. They are supposed to care for them to the best of their ability.
(954) 365-0000
(954) 365-0000