Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
When you place a family member in a nursing home, you expect for him or her to be taken care of. Unfortunately, however, this doesn’t always happen. In fact, some nursing home residents actually suffer abuse. It’s important to know how to recognize whether or not your loved one is suffering abuse.
Here are several signs that your family member is being abused in a nursing home.
Sudden Injuries
Physical abuse is one of the most common forms of nursing home abuse and typically results in sudden injuries that can’t be explained. If your loved one has unexplained bruises, cuts, broken bones or other physical injuries, it’s a definite cause for concern.
Poor Personal Hygiene
A big aspect of caring for nursing home residents involves tending to their personal hygiene. Many residents require assistance with bathing, combing their hair, brushing their teeth and cutting their nails. However, if there aren’t enough staff available or they’re not properly trained, the residents’ personal hygiene can suffer. If your family member appears dirty or unkempt, he or she may be experiencing neglect.
Emotional Changes
Nursing home abuse and neglect can also take a psychological toll on residents. They may become depressed, anxious, scared and angry. These individuals may become withdrawn and try to isolate themselves away from their family and friends. If you’ve noticed drastic emotional changes in your loved one, he or she may be getting mistreated in the nursing home.
Lack of Mobility
Many nursing home residents suffer from various health problems that limit their mobility. That’s why it’s important for staff members to help residents move around as much as possible. If they just allow them to lie in bed all day, residents can lose even more mobility. If you notice that your family member is even less mobile than before, neglect is very possible.
Rapid Weight Loss
Senior citizens are more at risk of malnutrition than their younger counterparts due to decreased sense of taste, poor fitting dentures, dementia and other issues. Nursing home staff should be aware of these risks to prevent malnutrition. Unfortunately, however, if there’s inadequate staffing or poor training, it can increase the risk of nursing home malnutrition. If your loved one has lost a lot of weight quickly, it’s a red flag.
If you believe your loved one is suffering abuse at a nursing home, contact a nursing home abuse lawyer, like one from Disparti Law Group.