It can be heartbreaking to discover that your loved one is experiencing some form of nursing home abuse. Many nursing home incidents go unreported, which means that the 10% of the people who do report their incidents are just a fraction of those who are mistreated. Sadly, many nursing home residents refuse to report what is happening to them, even to their closest loved ones. If you suspect or discover nursing home neglect or another form of abuse, you can seek help.
If you are a family member of an elderly person, you can request aid from a nursing home abuse lawyer who can give you the opportunity to recover compensation for their neglect. This can also put an end to nursing home negligence or any other form of abuse that they may be experiencing. You can speak to the attorney in a confidential conversation regarding what type of abuse your family member is suffering. Our Pittsburgh based nursing home abuse lawyers can facilitate the investigation and help your loved one receive compensation if you suspect abuse. Call Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky today to receive a free consultation.
What is Nursing Home Abuse?
When a nursing home employee harms or neglects one of the residents in a long-term care nursing home facility, it’s considered abuse. Nursing facility abuse is always intentional and unprofessional. When nursing home abuse continues without intervention, the victim can suffer from traumatic injuries, medical emergencies, and even wrongful death. Nursing home abuse affects many families every year. Abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual, and financial. It can involve residents, nurses, doctors, family members, and other caretakers. Every year, 5 million people are impacted or influenced by elder abuse each year.
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Even if your family member doesn’t speak up and let you know they are experiencing abuse in Pennsylvania nursing homes, you can always check for signs of abuse. Here are some common warning signs that your loved one is being abused:
Poor Resident Hygiene
Every elderly person must receive proper personal health care. The staff is responsible for making sure the resident is bathed, has good dental hygiene, is groomed, and has clean clothing. If nursing home staff neglects to provide these services, they may be held liable.
Lack Of Mobility
Nursing homes should encourage their residents to stay active. When residents are immobile for an extended period of time, it can result in bed sores and atrophied muscles. The nursing staff must engage residents in games, activities, and more to keep them mobile and entertained.
Inadequate or Poor Nutrition
Your family member must receive adequate nutrition to keep them healthy. Residents can suffer from dehydration and malnutrition because staff members don’t provide enough nutritious food or enough hydration. Some signs of malnutrition include hair loss, significant weight loss, feeling cold, papery skin, fatigue, and irritability.
Psychological Issues
Nursing home residents may suffer emotional issues after they’ve been abused. For example, they may have a fear of their caregivers, are frequently angry, or may suffer from depression. This can cause them to isolate themselves from friends and family members.
Unsanitary Living Conditions
Your family member needs to be provided with a clean living area, clothing, and bedding that is freshly cleaned on a regular basis. If you notice that the room of your relative is dingy or dirty, this means that your loved one is being neglected by staff.
Unexplained Injuries
It is the nursing staff’s responsibility to protect the residents from preventable injuries. If you see bruises, scratches, and other wounds, it is likely a sign of abuse or neglect. Your family member may have been struck or fallen because of the staff’s negligence.
Who is responsible for nursing home abuse?
People who may be abusing your elderly family member include the following:
Other Nursing Home Residents
Other residents of assisted living facilities may be the cause of abuse. They can assault other residents, emotionally abuse them, verbally insult, or sexually assault them. This can happen because they live in the same assisted living facility.
Nursing Home Staff
Pittsburgh nursing home abuse can also be caused by staff who are acting unprofessionally. Sometimes tired or overworked employees make medication errors. Physical abuse can result in broken bones and other injuries to a nursing home resident.
Types Of Nursing Home Abuse
There are many ways that elderly abuse can take form. Here are some of the most common ways that nursing home abuse happens:
Dirty or Unsafe Conditions
If the nursing home facility is not maintained properly, it can develop mold, which can cause respiratory problems and other long-term health consequences. Dirty surfaces can spread bacteria, viruses, and other diseases. Unsafe locations can lead to accidents among the residents of the nursing home.
Missing Persons
Your elderly family member may wander off the premises without anyone noticing and find themself in a location where they are confused, lost, and scared. Nursing homes should have attentive staffs that prevent this kind of abuse by monitoring all of their residents so that this doesn’t occur.
Abandonment
When the nursing home patient is abandoned and removed from their facility, this is a form of abuse. Kicking out nursing home patients can cause them to become homeless. This can happen without the family members’ knowledge.
Medical Neglect
Medical neglect can happen when a nursing home employee does not properly treat or prevent health problems. For example, bedsores, mobility disorders, infections, and diabetic disease have to be carefully monitored.
Neglect of Personal Hygiene
Nursing home residents and their clothes and bedding should be kept clean at all times. The nursing home facility should take care of laundry, dental care, grooming, bathing, and more. If that doesn’t happen, the resident could become ill.
Social or Emotional Neglect
Nursing home residents shouldn’t be isolated and should be allowed to interact with family and other residents. Social neglect can cause residents to become withdrawn and depressed.
Neglect Of Basic Needs
Your family member should receive nutritious, appetizing food to maintain their health and emotional wellbeing. They deserve nutritious food and drinks to keep them healthy. Otherwise, they may end up malnourished, underweight, and unhealthy.
Why Should You Hire a Nursing Home Abuse Attorney?
An experienced nursing home abuse attorney can fight for your loved one’s right to receive compensation for any damages caused by the nursing home. You shouldn’t allow your family member to remain in a state of neglect, as this can cause their health to deteriorate and even result in wrongful death.
A large portion of nursing home abuse goes unreported, which means that many elderly individuals aren’t speaking up about what they are experiencing. This is why your case should be investigated by professionals. Elderly individuals are vulnerable and often preyed upon via financial abuse and other scams. When nursing home facilities make medical errors or cause malnutrition, this can cause danger to your loved one. Once you see the signs of abuse, you should speak to an attorney to hold the responsible parties accountable.
Contact Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys
If your loved one is experiencing some form of neglect or abuse, you should speak to a dedicated nursing home abuse lawyer as they deserve justice according to Pennsylvania law. Because much of elderly abuse goes underreported, even if you suspect that it is happening, it is still a good idea to reach out to a nursing home abuse attorney. Your family member may be in immediate danger if the abuse continues without any intervention. Attorneys can also provide you with a list of warning signs that can reveal additional forms of abuse you may have previously overlooked. Your family member may be experiencing medical malpractice, sexual assault, financial exploitation, emotional abuse, and many other forms of unacceptable behavior at their living facility under your nose.
As soon as you notice that your loved one is depressed, withdrawn, or even scared, you should find out the reason why. You might observe sudden weight loss if they are not receiving adequate food. Other signs are medical issues that suddenly appear when they don’t have a history of poor health conditions. For example, heavy and rapid hair loss can be a sign of emotional distress. Unexplainable bruising, cuts, and fractured bones might be the result of physical abuse. After you notice some alarming details, let your nursing home abuse attorney know what you’ve observed. Take pictures and write down anything that your loved one said about their condition.
Your nursing home abuse lawyer will have in-depth knowledge of personal injury law. They will investigate your claim and find evidence that supports your suspicions if there is any form of abuse happening. Our law firm will use the collected evidence to initiate a claim so that your loved one can receive compensation for the damages they experienced. We work on a contingency fee requiring no upfront costs. After you receive your settlement, we detract an agreed-upon percentage as compensation for our services. The nursing home facility or individual responsible can be held liable and even punished according to Pittsburgh, PA law. To find out how to get started, contact Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky for a free consultation.
Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky, P.C’s main office is located at 245 Fort Pitt Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, only about 8 minutes from Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, just over a mile away from The Andy Warhol Museum, and about 2 minutes away from the Point State Park. Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is only 12 minutes away. Gary Ogg, Mike Murphy, John Perkosky, David Houk, and Ben Gobel, the principal attorneys at Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky, P.C, are your trusted source for addressing personal injury, medical malpractice, and workers’ compensation cases. With a proven history of expertise and success, Ogg, Murphy & Perkosky ensures your legal representation instills confidence in every aspect of your case. Call our Pittsburgh law firm today at (412) 471-8500 with further questions.