Nursing Home Abuse – Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg

Nursing-Home-Abuse

“Nursing home abuse.” Those three words don’t belong anywhere near each other, let alone as the sole components of a phrase. However, whether we would like to acknowledge it or not, our loved ones in nursing homes are faced with the prospect of being abused (and it happens much more than we’d like to think). There might not be anything more upsetting than learning about the abuse of a trusting, helpless, indefensible senior at the hands of their so-called “caretakers.” We put our loved ones in nursing homes so that they can receive the care and attention that they need in a nurturing setting.

When dealing with a possible nursing home abuse cases, one of the hardest things to do is to actually determine when an abuse has taken place. Seniors—especially those living in nursing homes—tend to be far less confrontational than younger people. That means that they are less likely to report an abuse—often times they just accept it as a fact of life and deal with it.

Even if they do understand that the manner in which they’re being treated is unfair, they often are out of touch with current legal codes and thus don’t know whether they have any rights. By educating yourself on the intricacies of nursing home abuse cases, you can help protect your friends and family against possible neglect. And as an educated individual, you can seek the assistance you need in filing a claim against someone who has abused a loved one.

Some examples of what abused elders may be faced with in a nursing home are:

1. Dehydration

2. Unsanitary toilet facilities

3. Lack of food

4. Poor grooming

5. Improper medical attention

6. Bedsores

7. Intimidation and

8. Sexual abuse

The above list is simply a short version of a variety of ways in which seniors can be abused. Often times, people don’t know what to look for in an abused individual. Some symptoms of nursing home abuse are personality changes, unexplainable bruises, venereal diseases, etc. If you notice something different about your loved one, for which there is no proper explanation, seek the guidance of a professional.

There are both federal laws (most notably the Nursing Home Reform Act) and state laws that directly dictate how elders should be treated in a nursing home facility. Violators of that law are thus subject to punishment under both sets of laws (assuming the laws are, even slightly, different).

Recently, in St Petersburg, Florida, a nursing home neglect lawsuit ended victoriously for an elderly woman who received poor care by those who were supposed to take care of and protect her. A jury awarded the woman $20 million in damages. These types of judicious rulings do a great deal to prevent future nursing home abuse incidents. While they are a deterrent, they are not a complete eradicator. There is no doubt that, unfortunately, others will be abused in nursing homes.

If you have any questions about this, or need legal advice about any other matter, please contact the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg at 561-266-9191 or email us at daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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