When you or are a loved one are placed under the care of a nursing home, the hope is always that the environment and employees will be peaceful and caring. After all, individuals are placed in nursing homes because they need round-the-clock care that cannot be afforded at the patients’ homes and they also need attention and help from nurses. However, there has been a growing number of cases of nursing home patients being abused by nurses and other employees of nursing homes resulting in various injuries and a reported 1,800 deaths of nursing home residents every year in the United States. Additionally, according to reports, one in ten residents of nursing homes suffer some sort of abuse every year.
What Constitutes Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse can take many forms, some more apparent than others. Physical abuse, for example, is the most obvious form of abuse. Other forms of abuse, while not as obvious, can still be extremely detrimental to a resident’s health and well-being. This includes emotional abuse, in which an individual intentionally causes emotional stress on a resident through humiliation, neglect, or some form of verbal or sexual abuse. It can also include financial abuse if caregivers are stealing from a resident. Essentially, any way in which a caregiver is mistreating a resident would be considered nursing home abuse. If you have a loved one residing in a nursing home, it is important that you speak with them frequently about their experiences in the facility to make sure that they are comfortable and being treated well.
Seek Help
If you or someone you love is experiencing nursing home abuse, you should remove him or her from the home as quickly as possible. You may not know who is causing the abuse, so it is important to first ensure the safety of the resident. Then it is important that you contact a lawyer to discuss the situation. Abusing a nursing home resident is a serious offense and the case should be taken seriously. If you call Seth Gladstein, he will make sure that your case is handled as such. Call him today at 502-791-9000 to receive a free consultation.
