Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing home residents are especially vulnerable to abuse. Physically or mentally debilitated or both, they have little recourse to defend themselves from anyone who chooses to harm them bodily, emotionally or financially.

The personal injury attorneys at Flood Law Group represent individuals and families who are affected by nursing home abuse and/or neglect. If you believe that your loved one is being mistreated while in the care of a nursing home facility, please contact us for qualified legal representation.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse

There are several types of abuse, including:

• Physical abuse — This is the use of physical force that may result in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. In additional to our understanding of what physical abuse is (i.e., striking, hitting, beating, pushing, shoving, shaking, burning, etc.), this category also includes inappropriate use of drugs and physical restraints and force feeding.
• Sexual abuse — This is defined as any kind of non-consensual sexual contact with an elderly person. This includes contact with someone who cannot give consent. Among other kinds of abuse, sexual abuse includes unwanted touching, all types of sexual assault or battery, and sexually explicit photographing.
• Emotional or psychological abuse — This means to inflict anguish, pain, or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts, including verbal assaults, insults, threats, intimidation, humiliation and harassment. Also included are treating an elderly person like an infant; isolating that person from family, friends, or activities and ignoring the person.
• Neglect — This means the refusal or failure to satisfy the caregiver's obligations and duties, such as failing to provide food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication, comfort and personal safety.
• Abandonment — This means leaving behind an elderly person for whom one has assumed responsibility.
• Financial or material exploitation — This means the illegal use of someone's funds, property, or assets.

Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

Physical signs and symptoms of abuse include all the visible signs of trauma, signs of being punished or restrained, blood tests showing overdose or too small a dose of prescribed medication. Sudden change in behavior of the elder person might be another signal something is wrong.

If the caregiver doesn't allow a visitor to see the elder person alone, this may indicate any of the types of abuse mentioned.

Signs of sexual abuse may include bruises in the area of the breasts or genitals, venereal disease, genital infections, vaginal or anal bleeding with no known cause. Other signs may be torn, stained or bloody underclothing.

Symptoms of emotional or psychological abuse include being emotionally upset or agitated, withdrawing or being nonresponsive; behavior usually attributed to dementia such as sucking, biting or rocking.

Signs of neglect may include malnutrition, dehydration, untreated bed sores, inadequate personal hygiene, health problems that haven't been treated, unsanitary living conditions such as dirt, fleas, lice, soiled bedding, smell of feces or urine.

Signs of financial abuse can be sudden bank account changes, withdrawal of large sums of money by someone accompanying the elder person, names added to a bank signature care, unauthorized use of an ATM, abrupt changes in a will or trust document, unpaid bills when enough money is available, provision of unnecessary services, unexplained sudden transfer of assets.

Contact a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

It is important to defend those who cannot defend themselves. If you suspect your loved one has been abused or taken advantage of, it is important to contact a nursing home abuse attorney to rectify the situation and see that the appropriate person is punished.

To schedule a review of your case, please contact us today.