Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse

Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse

We trust nursing home facilities to provide appropriate care to our senior citizens and loved ones when they cannot take care of themselves.  However, many times they fail to do so.  What could be more devastating than learning your family member has been abused or neglected by nursing home employees – the very people you trusted to care for them?  Did you know that about 1.6 million people now live in nursing homes in the United States?  Thirty years from now, it’s expected to be 5 million.  As our population’s age increases, so unfortunately are the incidents of nursing home abuse, neglect, and substandard care.

Sometimes mistakes are made and family members suffer.  Like medical negligence cases, the law requires that nursing homes and their staff fulfill the professional standards of care of the community in which they provide nursing home services. A breach of the standard of care is “negligence”.  Nursing home residents often suffer falls, bedsores, malnutrition, dehydration, physical and sexual or psychological abuse.  None of these are acceptable.

According to the Elder Abuse Foundation, the following are signs of nursing home abuse or neglect:

• Unexplained bruises, cuts, burns, sprains, or fractures in various stages of healing;
• Bedsores or frozen joints;
• Unexplained venereal disease or genital infections; vaginal or anal bleeding;  torn, stained, or bloody underclothing;
• Sudden changes in behavior;
• Staff refusing to allow visitors to see resident or delays in allowing visitors to see resident;
• Staff not allowing resident to be alone with visitor;
• Resident being kept in an over-medicated state;
• Loss of resident’s possessions;
• Sudden large withdrawals from bank accounts or changes in banking practices; or
• Abrupt changes in Will or other financial documents.

If any form of abuse or neglect has occurred, your family deserves adequate compensation to get your relative the care he or she needs.  Retaining an experienced nursing home litigator and initiating a demand is the first step to compensate your loved one for his or her injury. Don’t ignore the harm your family member sustained.  We all need to stand up to protect our vulnerable senior citizens by requiring that all nursing homes and assisted living facilities properly care for their residents.

If you believe a member of your family has been the victim of nursing home neglect or abuse, please contact Holzfaster, Cecil, McKnight & Mues at (937) 293-2141 to schedule an appointment.  We can discuss and analyze the case and advise whether you may be entitled to compensation.  Or, if you would prefer, you can use our form below to contact us online.  In addition, we have an emergency phone number, (937) 760-4357, which we answer around-the-clock. We will help you fight for justice on behalf of your family!