Deciding to put a loved one in a nursing home is a difficult enough decision. When you then realize that they are not being taken care of as you expected, and have suffered an injury or are being abused, it can be devastating. If you have a loved one in a nursing home and have reason to believe that they are in this situation then you may have legal recourse. Read on to learn more and then contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.
Abuse in nursing homes
When a person is in a nursing home, whether because they are of advanced age or because they are disabled, and they are injured, then it is important to at least consider that their injury could be the result of being abused or neglected. The definition of abuse is when a person – usually the caregiver – hurts a patient on person. This can take a number of forms, from physical abuse to emotional abuse, and even sexual abuse or financial abuse.
If your loved one was injured or harmed in a nursing home then you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the person that harmed them and / or the facility that allowed the abuse to happen. It may also be possible to present a prosecutor with evidence so that criminal charges will be filed.
Neglect in nursing homes
Neglect is also abuse but it typically doesn’t involve a person intentionally trying to hurt someone. It involves a caregiver and / or facility not meeting its obligations to care for a patient properly. Examples include not bathing a patient, not changing a patient’s diapers, not properly distributing medication, not getting them enough fluids, or not getting them enough food.
In some cases, neglect is passive and is the result of someone simply forgetting. In other cases, it is active and a person makes a decision not to perform necessary duties. If neglect has happened in a nursing home then you may be able to file a lawsuit against both the employer and their employee.
It may be up to you to discover abuse
One of the reasons that this abuse often happens to the elderly or disabled is that they are not always able to tell people what is happening to them. This is why it is up to you to visit often and not at predictable times, to watch for any bruises that cannot be explained, to ensure that basic needs are being met, etc. If their mood or behavior seems strange then take note and get to the bottom of it.
At The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker we wish that no person had to go through this type of abuse but unfortunately it is all too common. If you have had to watch a loved one suffer in this way then we hope you will contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation today.
