Should I Move My Loved One if Abuse Is Reported at Their Nursing Home?
When your loved one is in a nursing home, you may wonder if they’re getting the best care possible. You may have also heard that some nursing homes can mistreat their residents. If your loved one is in a nursing home that has a report of abuse, you may want to move your loved one immediately. Let’s go over the situations where you should consider moving your loved one from their nursing home.
Residents Abused at Their Nursing Home
If a resident was abused at their nursing home, it’s possible that they were intentionally harmed or not given the care they deserve. While nursing home abuse is a common phrase for poor treatment in a nursing home, it can also cover what would be considered neglect.
Abuse can include staff being violent and physically harming other residents. Sometimes, this abuse can be sexual. They may also prevent your loved one from being around others or insult them when they’re taking care of them. Some other forms of abuse also include staff taking advantage of a resident’s declining health and stealing from them.
Then, there’s nursing home neglect. If a resident isn’t getting their medication on time, they’re not getting help to go to the bathroom, change clothes, and bathe, or are missing meals, then they’re being neglected. This may be from not having enough staff to care for the residents in the home. The staff may also be overworked and could make a mistake when providing your loved one with care.
If someone was abused in the nursing home, it may also be happening to your loved one. You can look for signs of nursing home abuse.
Red Flags in a Nursing Home
You may be able to recognize signs that your loved one is not in a safe space. If they are consistently injured, seem to be losing weight, or look like they are unclean, this could be a sign of abuse and neglect.
Another thing to look out for is how the staff act around you. For example, if they do not leave you alone with your loved one, this could be a sign of intimidation, or they’re trying to prevent your loved one from speaking with you.
There’s also the chance of speaking to other residents and their families about how they believe the quality of care is. They may talk about their loved one experiencing problems or they could talk about how the nursing home isn’t taking steps to address their concerns. If you’re noticing that the overall feeling is that their loved one isn’t being cared for, then this could mean that your loved one is getting the same treatment.
You may wonder if your loved one would communicate their discomfort or mistreatment in their nursing home. There are a few matters that could prevent this from happening. If they are scared of what will happen after they inform you of what’s going on, this may make them stay silent. Another thing that could prevent them from telling you is that they’re feeling shame about what happened.
There are also certain health conditions that may affect your loved one’s lucidity and also ability to communicate and they may not be able to inform you of what’s going on. This is why it’s so important to look out for red flags and signs of abuse, and note if your loved one’s nursing home is responsive to your concerns. If they brush off issues or don’t work with you to solve problems, they may not be providing your loved one with the best care.
Seek Justice for Your Loved One
If you are concerned for your loved one’s well being and find that they aren’t getting the care they need in their nursing home, their safety is the first priority. Once they are in a safe place, you can work on getting justice for them. To do this, you’ll need the help of an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer from Pittman Roberts & Welsh, PLLC.
We will launch a full investigation of your loved one’s treatment. We’ll find out if they were abused, neglected, and who was at fault. Our lawyers understand how scary this time can be and how difficult it can be to realize your loved one wasn’t getting proper care. We can help you hold the negligent nursing home responsible and fight for full and fair compensation for your loved one so they can get the care they need. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
