According to a CDC research, there is typically one nursing home staff member for every 1.64 residents. A long-term care facility that neglects to keep a sufficient and reasonable number of employees exposes its residents to imminent risk of nursing home omit and may be held accountable for any injuries that ensue.
In some instances, staff workers lack the necessary training to cope with impaired or disobedient residents, which causes the level of care to fall short of what is required by law and what family members expect. When a person is hurt as a result of inadequate training, nursing home facilities may be held liable.
Older adults often need to take medications, and nursing home residents may experience negative effects if they aren’t given the right dosage at the right time. If a resident suffers injury as a result of a prescription drug error, you might be able to hold the doctor, pharmacy, or pharmacist responsible.
Illustrations of Mistakes and Accidents in Nursing Homes
Abuse in nursing homes can take many different forms, and each of these can lead to damages to the body, mind, emotions, or finances. The most common types of incidences that can result in a nursing home abuse case are as follows:
Brutality in a Nursing Home
It is a serious matter to use physical force against an elderly resident of a nursing home in Florida.
Inappropriate medicine use, physical punishment, coercing an elderly patient or resident to eat, delaying meals, or utilizing physical restraints are all examples of physical abuse in nursing homes.
Among the warning symptoms of physical abuse are:
- fractures and broken bones
- welts, wounds, and bruises
- unhealed or open wounds
- Scars or indications of previously healed injuries
- unclean surroundings when you visit
- dirty clothes
- Too hot or cold in the room
- lack of essential components
- Bed sores Dehydration or malnutrition
- untreated medical conditions
- unused medications
- difficulties with medicated health not improving or getting worse
Abuse of the sex in nursing homes
Any sexual activity or behavior with an older individual that is not consenting is considered to be sexual abuse. Unwanted and inappropriate contact and exposure of intimate areas are examples of this kind of abuse.
Sexual contact with a person who is incapable of consenting due to incapacity or mental impairment is a common form of sexual abuse in assisted care homes. One of the most heinous types of sexual abuse is this.
Some indications that a loved one is being sexually abused while living in a nursing care include:
- a fresh STD or genital infection finding
- genital bruising or bleeding
- ripped or stained underwear
- A sudden shift in the demeanor or behavior of a loved one
- refusal to receive guests
Abuse of the Emotions in a Nursing Home
Using words or other behaviors to cause emotional pain or distress to a resident of a nursing home is known as emotional abuse. This can entail seclusion from others, humiliation, threats, insults, and intimidation.
In a nursing home, the bulk of emotional abuse entails treating the elderly resident like a child or as a bother.
The following are some indicators that a loved one is experiencing emotional or psychological abuse in a nursing home:
- being incensed
- Ineffective or unresponsive communication
- unusual actions or remarks
- A sudden shift in the demeanor or behavior of a loved one
- refusal to receive guests
Nursing Home Financial Abuse
Theft of goods from a nursing home resident or the employment of duplicitous methods to access financial accounts for the abuser’s improper personal gain are examples of financial abuse of an elder. Of course, stealing money from an elderly person in one’s care is against the law.
Forging a signature, requesting cash, utilizing the senior’s checks, or exploiting a power of attorney are all examples of elder financial exploitation.
In a care home, there are warning signs that your loved one is being abused financially.
- discovering or obtaining financial records bearing the caregiver’s name
- Elder’s bank card has a caregiver’s name on it.
- money missing from a bank account
- false charges or services
- Unreported modifications to a will
- lost ATM card
- Loss of property
- fake signatures that appear to be on papers
A victim of abuse in a nursing home may suffer long-term effects from any of the aforementioned abuse types.
When to Call Nursing Home Injury Attorneys
Because many victims do not report their abuse, nursing home abuse can be particularly hazardous. Some residents of nursing homes may not be able to report abuse due to physical or mental limitations, while others could be too terrified to do so.
In order to prevent victims of abuse from reporting their injuries, nursing home abusers may intimidate them or threaten to do more harm to the resident or their relatives.
Family members and other loved ones should constantly keep a close check on nursing home residents because so many incidences of nursing home abuse go undetected. They ought to be able to see the symptoms of many forms of nursing home abuse.