Check your loved one
With an increasingly aging population, stories of nursing home abuse are becoming more common place. Reports of physical, mental, emotional and even sexual abuse frequently appear in the news. Nursing home abuse and neglect should not occur. All of us must take steps to prevent elder abuse.
The root cause of this crisis is the chronic understaffing of nursing homes. Most facilities are owned by large corporations or individual investors who in order to increase profits cut staffing to the bone. As a result patients or residents are frequently provided little if any care. Some residents' most basic needs, including even food and water are not provided.
The lack of care that is pervasive in these homes fuels an atmosphere of neglect that places all nursing home residents at risk.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOUR LOVED ONES:
- Visit often. Residents who have frequent visitors are less likely to be ignored by staff.
- Ask your loved one about any incidents or problems they've had in the facility.
- Check your loved one for signs of injury or physical abuse. Report and document and document by photograph any suspicious bruising or injury.
- Don't be afraid to look under the sheets for the presence of bedsores on your loved one.
If you find any signs of injury or abuse immediately bring it to the attention of the facility. Speak to the nurses, ask them what they know. Remember to document everything.
The owners and operators of nursing homes can be held accountable for their actions. The law provides for specific causes of action that you can pursue in order to hold them accountable. Don't allow them to increase their profits at the expense of the suffering of our loved ones. Contact us by filling out and submitting the contact form or by calling us at (866) 372-0570. An attorney experienced in nursing home litigation will return your call within 24 hours.