You might not even notice at first. One day you make a visit to your family member, who’s been in a nursing home for a year. She says she’s fine, but you notice bruises on her arms. They’re nothing, she says; she just tripped. Yet, why does she look frightened even though she smiles? Why does she back away when you move toward her? Have you stumbled onto something you don’t even want to think about? Could your relative be part of nursing home abuse?
Nursing home abuse does happen. It happens to the elderly and sick in nursing homes, other medical facilities, and even in their own homes. It happens when people are too ill or old to care for themselves or cannot defend themselves from harm by others. Nursing home abuse comes in many ways, any of which can make the final years of an elderly person fearful and intolerable.
Physical Abuse
Hitting, biting, or inflicting any physical pain is a common type of nursing home abuse, which happens mainly because the victim cannot defend him or herself. Forcing drugs on a patient is a form of physical abuse and so is confining a person to a chair or bed with ties or other restraints.
Emotional Abuse
This type of abuse is intended to humiliate and frighten the elderly person with yelling and threats. Ignoring or isolating the victim is another form of emotional abuse.
Sexual Abuse
In addition to forcing the patient into an actual sex act, sexual abuse goes beyond that by forcing the victim into watching a sexual performance or making the patient undress in front of others.
Neglect
This is the type of abuse that mainly comes from the prominent caregivers. The neglect of the patient may be intentional or unintentional. In some cases, a caregiver may not even realize that he or she is neglecting the patient.
Financial
This abuse happens when a caregiver or family member may forge a signature of the patient or steal cash or checks. In some cases, the elderly patient is forced to sign a contract with lies or other fictitious promises.
Healthcare Fraud
This type of nursing home abuse happens in some instances when doctors, nurses, or other caregivers overcharge for their services or charge for services that are never delivered.
Contact Us
If you have a loved one or friend in a nursing home and you suspect in any way that he or she is suffering from abuse, do something now. Don’t let frightened looks or sudden bruises go unnoticed. Talk to the patient if you have suspicions, and do something to stop it. Contact The Fernandez Firm Accident Injury Attorneys and we can help you get answers to your concerns. We want to help your loved one avoid any more injuries and provide them with compensation for the damages they have already suffered. Let us help you today. Contact us at (800) 222-8163 and we will begin investigating the situation immediately.