How To Spot a Negligent Nursing Home

The decision to put your loved one into a nursing home is a difficult one. Once they have gotten to the point where living alone is too dangerous, most people don’t have the time or ability to adequately care for their loved one. However, the difficulty of this decision goes beyond love, to considerations of abuse and negligent care.

Negligent Care

Negligence is rampant in nursing homes, and the last thing you want is to subject your loved one to awful treatment. Evergreen Personal Injury Counsel is a leading team of Washington nursing home abuse attorneys, and we are always striving to help keep people from peril. That’s why we’ve put together this overview to help spot negligent nursing homes.

Abuse

The most obvious case of a negligent nursing home is when the nursing home staff is actively abusing your loved one. Most glaring among instances of abuse is physical abuse.

As horrifying as it may sound, this is more common than you’d like to imagine. From active abuse like punching, kicking and pinching, to improper use of restraints, there is a wide range of physical abuse to watch out for. 

While less visible than physical abuse, it’s also important to keep an eye out for emotional abuse, and even sexual abuse, of your loved one. Keeping an open line of communication with your loved one is the best way to stay abreast of these issues.

Financial abuse, or the withholding of funds, is also common in nursing home settings.

Unfortunately, many nursing home residents are less than coherent and may not have a voice to call out abuse and injustice. If you suspect your loved one is being abused, contact a nursing home negligence attorney. 

Nursing Home Neglect 

While physical and sexual abuse are easier to spot, nursing home neglect can be more difficult to pinpoint. 

In many cases, individuals in nursing homes are partially or totally dependent on staff. When a negligent nursing home neglects its residents, those residents can suffer terribly. Confined to their rooms without the ability to feed themselves or leave, these residents are prone to hunger, poor hygiene, and more. That’s why it’s important to know the signs of nursing home neglect, so you can spot instances where your loved one isn’t getting the care they deserve.

There are several signs of negligent nursing home neglect you can look out for:

• Bedsores
• Hunger 
• Dehydration, and
• Poor hygiene

These are just some of a wide range of signs that point to neglect. 

These are vital to recognize because, while not outwardly hostile like abuse, neglect can be just as damaging to your loved one’s physical and mental health. Negligent care and elder neglect can take a serious toll on resident’s mental health, causing them to fear their caregivers, feel shameful with family, and sometimes, withdraw altogether. Likewise, a lack of proper food, water, and hygienic care can cause residents to lose muscle mass and weight , as well as cause serious health problems. 

Resident’s may not tell you about abuse or neglect for fear of consequences or due to feelings of shame. That’s why it’s so important to keep an eye out for signs of abuse and neglect so that you can advocate and be a voice for your loved ones. 

Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys 

If you suspect that your loved one is being abused or neglected by a negligent care facility, contact Evergreen Personal Injury Counsel for your free consultation today. Our team of caring and experienced nursing home negligence attorneys work with you to get the justice you deserve, for the ones you love the most.