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Common Types of Abuse in Nursing Homes
Some of the abuses that victims of nursing home abuse and neglect have suffered include:
- Starvation
- Dehydration
- Emotional abuse
- Financial abuse
- Over-medication
- Unauthorized medication
- Unnecessary or dangerous medication, including opioid prescriptions
- Painful pressure sores
- Physical abuse
- Assault / Sexual Assault
- Battery / Sexual Battery
- Unreasonable physical restraint
- Failure to assist in personal hygiene
- Failure to protect from health and safety hazards
If you believe that your loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, you may qualify to file a nursing home abuse lawsuit. Contact the experienced attorneys at McDonald Worley today for a FREE case review to learn how to protect the rights of your loved ones.
What are Common Signs of Elder Abuse?
Approximately 150,000 seniors living in assisted living facilities face nursing home abuse every year. While in some cases there is clear, physical evidence of such abuse, many cases of elder abuse is underreported.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (NCPEA), one of the reasons that elder abuse or neglect is difficult to detect is because some of the signs are similar to self-neglect.
One of the other problems is that those living in nursing homes are often frail and vulnerable and don’t have the mental or physical capacity to seek the help they need or protect themselves.
There are some signs that elder abuse may be occurring, including:
- Cigarette burns or other types of burns
- Marks that may be from the aggressive use of ropes or straps from the inappropriate use of restraint
- Unusual hair or tooth loss
- Broken bones, dislocated joints, or sprains
- Bruises
- Bite marks
- A delay from when the injury first occurred and when the patient seeks medical attention
According to the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA), nursing home abuse is a serious problem among U.S. healthcare providers who serve our aging population. And those at the greatest risk for elder abuse are women over age 80.
ALFA research has also revealed that those who are victims of elder abuse have a 300 percent increased risk of dying within the three years after the elder abuse occurred.
Fighting for the Rights of our Aging Population
The elderly and infirm have rights. Our personal injury law firm is experienced in nursing abuse & negligence cases. Your loved ones have the right to be treated humanely and with dignity.
The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 stipulates that a nursing home “must provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being of each resident in accordance with a written plan of care.”
Don’t settle for anything less than your family being treated with the dignity they deserve. Our nursing negligence attorneys in Houston, Texas, will fight to make sure your loved ones receive the legal protections the law provides and help you pursue any nursing home neglect lawsuit claims for injuries suffered.
Contact a Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
When nursing homes are not providing appropriate services, serious illness, injury, and, in some cases, death, can befall the residents. Your loved one may be entitled to compensation for injuries sustained and compensation which can help move your loved one into a better situation. In such circumstances, you need someone to represent your rights and a nursing home negligence attorney will fight for your rights.
If your loved one is suffering from such abuse, chances are that he or she is not the only one. Filing a nursing home abuse lawsuit might be the only path to making sure that the mistreatment is stopped.
In such circumstances, you need someone to represent your rights and a nursing home negligence attorney will fight for your rights. Contact McDonald Worley.