Nursing homes are designed to provide quality care to aging adults who require daily help. If your senior loved one is living in a nursing home facility, you want to make sure that they are safe and well cared for. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect by nursing home doctors, nurses, and other staff may arise and severely hurt your senior. Since the majority of older adults do not tell anyone about nursing home abuse and neglect if they experience it, it’s essential that you are mindful of the following warning signs.
If you’re concerned that your loved one has experienced abuse or neglect in a nursing home, contact our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers at Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C. today at (205) 933-1500.
Unexplained Bruises or Fractures
Bruises or fractures make it clear that an injury has occurred. It’s important to determine whether the injury was a result of an accident or the negligence of a nursing home.
Bed Sores
Bed sores are preventable with the right care. If you notice that your older loved one has bed sores, they may have been stationary for too long, not received the proper nutrition, or been abused by nursing home staff.
Frequent Falls
Nursing homes are responsible for preventing falls. If your senior falls on a frequent basis, their nursing home is clearly not fulfilling this responsibility.
Rapid Weight Loss
Rapid weight loss is almost always caused by nursing home abuse and neglect. Nursing home staff should ensure that your senior receive the nutrients they need to maintain weight. Rapid weight loss can be a sign of the withholding of food, depression, or an incorrect balance of treatment and medication.
Financial Loss
Financial losses can also be a sign of nursing home abuse or neglect. These losses include the unexplainable disappearance of a senior’s money, abrupt changes in their will, and forged signatures on financial documents.
Social Withdrawal and Depression
Nursing home residents do not become socially withdrawn and depressed for no reason. If your older loved one is demonstrating social withdrawal and depression, emotional abuse or neglect may be the cause. Bullying, humiliation, deliberate isolation, and threats are all examples of emotional abuse in nursing homes.
Medication Errors and Restraints
Some nursing home personnel may administer the incorrect medication or dosage to their residents. Others may use medication as a restraint in order to control their senior clients. If your senior is a victim of a medication error or restraint, they may suffer from mental complications, serious injuries, or even wrongful death.
Missing Possessions
Personal possessions are usually very important to seniors who are living in nursing homes. When they leave their homes, they typically take special items that they’d like or need to live comfortably in a nursing home environment. If these types of possessions start to become missing, nursing home abuse and neglect may be happening.
Contact the Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorneys at Belt, Bruner, & Barnett P.C.
If your older loved one has shown any of these signs of nursing home abuse and neglect, you should reach out to Belt, Bruner & Barnett immediately by calling (205) 933-1500.
Our nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys strongly believe that no senior deserves to be subjected to nursing home abuse or neglect and may be able to prove negligence, recover damages for your senior’s suffering, and prevent any abuse or neglect from ever occurring again. With offices in Birmingham, Mobile, Huntsville, and Montgomery, our attorneys will quickly travel anywhere in the state of Alabama to investigate your case.
