Every year, nursing home abuse brings physical, emotional, or financial harm to older Americans. The perpetrators are usually negligent staff members or other residents. To protect loved ones in nursing homes, family members should check in regularly and report warning signs of abuse. Residents and their families may also qualify for compensation if abuse occurs.
Families put their trust in nursing homes to watch over their loved ones — yet nursing homes don’t always provide the safe environments that are expected. Reports of elders suffering various forms of nursing home abuse have made national headlines in recent years.
Many of these issues stem from the nursing home staff — the very people hired to provide care — or other residents. Other issues are the result of big senior care corporations, which may sacrifice proper staff training and other quality measures to make a profit at the residents’ expense.
If you believe your loved one is suffering from nursing home abuse or neglect, you have options. Contact DeGaris Law for a free case evaluation now, we are here to help.
Desperate senior crying in a dark room. Perfectly usable for a wide range of topics like depression, loneliness or mental health in general.
Nursing home abuse can generally be broken down into a few different types, which may overlap in some cases. For example, a loved one could suffer from both emotional and physical harm at the hands of a staff member or another resident.
It is important for you to know which type or types of nursing home abuse your loved one is suffering from and report it. By reporting nursing home abuse, you can prevent your loved one from further abuse and protect other nursing home residents from harm.
Amongst the most common types are:
In cases involving physical abuse, there is no question that the abuser is responsible, but the facility may share responsibility as well. A nursing home or elder care center that is negligent in performing background checks, investigating claims of abuse, or dismissing employees who have caused harm is also responsible. When we take on a case involving elder physical abuse, we hold all at-fault parties accountable. We leave no stone unturned to ensure justice is served.
The heinous nature of these cases and the fact that they are too often “swept under the rug” by nursing homes leaves us outraged. We are passionate about fighting for the dignity and respect of the elderly. Educating yourself on potential signs of sexual abuse is important, as this will help you determine if something may be occurring – even if your elderly loved one does not come forward right away.
The following are potential signs of sexual abuse of an elderly person:
As our health and mental well-being deteriorate with age, we may find ourselves more vulnerable to exploitation by friends, family, and strangers alike. This is evident when you consider the prevalence of elder financial abuse in the United States.
The following are common types of elder financial abuse:
Elder abuse is not always physical in nature. Emotional abuse can be just as harmful to a victim, leading to depression, isolation, and profound psychological pain. When this type of abuse occurs, it takes a skilled elder abuse attorney to seek justice.
Cases involving emotional abuse are particularly difficult to prove, as there may be no outward injuries to observe. At the DeGaris Law, we recognize the challenges we face in these cases. We are not afraid to take the necessary steps to pursue justice, no matter the odds. We take these cases personally. We fight to restore the respect and dignity the elderly deserve.
When you place an elderly loved one in a nursing home, you do so with the expectation that they will be properly cared for. This may have been an extremely difficult decision, made only because you simply cannot provide the level of full-time attention and care your loved one needs to be safe from harm. But what can you do if the very facility and caregivers you have trusted are negligent or even intentionally cause harm?
When you come to our firm, your needs become our needs. Your fight becomes our fight. We’re in this together, and our Alabama personal injury lawyers will seek the best possible result to expose nursing home abuse and neglect.