Chicago Nursing Home Abuse, Neglect and Negligence Attorneys
It’s never easy to make the decision to place a loved one in an assisted living facility or nursing home. There is a lot to take into consideration when making this kind of decision, and the staff at Kosin Law Office Ltd. understand just how heart wrenching it can be.
When you do select a nursing home or assisted living facility for your loved one, you place within them a lot of trust. You trust them to provide your loved one with the care they need and deserve, including physical care as well as any medical care needs that might arise. Unfortunately, these needs aren’t always met. In fact, sometimes residents end up abused and neglected rather than compassionately cared for. Have you been in this situation? If so, it’s time to give Kosin Law Office Ltd. a call and explore your options.
Nursing Home Neglect
When you place a loved one in a nursing home, the facility agrees to prove adequate attention and care. They willingly take on the responsibility of ensuring that your loved one receives the attention they need, in fact, and it’s completely reasonable to assume that the individuals working in the facility will carry out this duty with compassion and thoroughness.
In reality, many assisted living facilities and nursing homes are understaffed. A single employee might be responsible for dozens of residents, for example, which naturally brings the amount of attention they can afford to pay each resident down. This is one of the most common reasons for nursing home neglect: the staff is overworked and doesn’t have enough time to adequately care for each resident. Instead, they do the bare minimum (and sometimes not even that much) to try and ensure that most residents are at least seen once a day. This is a big issue when it comes to medication, where a single mistake or missed dose can send elderly patients into a tailspin.
Unfortunately, not all nursing home incidents are the honest mistakes of an overworked but compassionate staff member. While any form of neglect or abuse is abhorrent, there are a few examples that are heart-breakingly common and absolutely devastating to families.
Nursing Home Physical Abuse
While it’s true that overworked staff members are sometimes simply to busy to provide the care your loved one deserves, sometimes they actively take out their frustrations on the residents of their nursing home. Elder abuse is disturbingly common in nursing homes, and you might be surprised at some of the forms that it can take.
Perhaps the most prevalent kind of physical abuse experienced by residents in a nursing home comes in the form of shoves, strikes, or even slaps. If you think your loved one might be experiencing physical abuse in their nursing home, there are few common signs to keep an eye on:
- Cuts and bruises that are unexplained
- Broken bones
- Bloody or torn clothing
- An increase in negative behavior on the part of the resident
Any of the above should stand out as giant red flags if you’re visiting your loved one – and if you run into more than one of them at a time, it’s important that you take a close look at the kind of care your loved one is receiving. You should also be on the lookout for signs of sexual abuse. This is an increasingly prevalent issue in nursing homes across the United States, and it’s important to be proactive when it comes to your loved one’s health. Keep an eye out for:
- Bruises around the genital area
- Bloody underwear
- Unexplained venereal diseases
Other Forms of Nursing Home Abuse
In addition to the above, there are two more forms of abuse with which you should be familiar: financial abuse and emotional abuse.
Nursing home residents are often emotionally as well as physically abused. This kind of abuse includes the following:
- Isolating the patient
- Intimidating the patient
- Yelling and threatening the patient
- Ignoring the patient and their needs
- Mocking the patient
Emotional abuse isn’t an uncommon occurrence, nor is it a less serious one than physical abuse. If you suspect your loved one has experienced emotional abuse, you should start looking for help today.
Finally, the most common form of non-physical abuse in nursing homes is that of financial abuse. This kind of abuse refers to situations where nursing home staff are accessing your loved one’s money via various methods, such as stealing checks and credit cards.
Contact Us
Has your loved one been the victim of nursing home abuse? If so, contact Kosin Law Office Ltd. today. We can help you put together a case and seek compensation for the pain and suffering that your loved one has experienced.
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