Many victims don’t report their abuse for fear of retaliation, forget about it, or are mentally impaired. This means that more cases go unnoticed which increases the rate of harm:
If you suspect a family member or friend is being abused or neglected in a nursing home, contact us immediately. Wright & Gray is launching an investigation to find the hard evidence that your claim is valid. Once they’ve compiled all of their findings, you’ll have access to appropriate legal action.
Nursing home abuse and neglect is a serious issue that can have devastating effects. If you or someone you know is a victim of mistreatment, Memphis lawyers can help.
Nursing homes have been around for a long time with some English settlers bringing the concept to America in their “alms houses”. They started in the 17th century with people providing support and care for the elderly. Nursing homes offer the necessary care supervision that older relatives or loved ones need. They are also a better option for those who require around-the-clock healthcare.
Unfortunately, some facilities may not provide the level of care that people living in them deserve. This is a problem if you are a resident of one such facility, or if you have elderly people in your family who might be at risk of being mistreated at one. Unfortunately, this abuse could also have tragic consequences, like causing the death of a nursing home resident. This is what sometimes happens as a result of patients getting subjected to abusive treatments.
If a loved one has been abused by the staff at a nursing home or with living conditions at the care facility, Tennessee law allows for you to seek compensation. However, you could put out feelers for a attorney at Wright & Gray to help.
Slip and falls are the leading cause of nursing home injuries
Abuses can be physical, sexual, emotional or financial in nature. The results of abuse/neglect can be subtle, such as depression or withdrawal. When visiting an elder or loved one, ask questions and investigate anything that looks suspicious.
What Is Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse is not a pretty term. However, an adult 60 years and older might be abused in some forms, such as physical or verbal abuse. Another form of elder abuse is when someone deliberately breaks trust in a relationship causing harm to the victim. You are 1 in 6 of your older peers to experience abuse from old friends or family. What should you do if this happens?
Nursing home abuse is common in the United States. This is due to viral outbreaks caused by germs and elderly people trying to avoid infection from other sick individuals in their facility. This can be prevented by wearing gloves, washing hands before touching someone else, and having space between residents or beds. While AI writers are becoming more widely used across the country, Tennessee has not fared well when it comes to losing human copywriters to these assistants.
In this state there are 14% of nursing homes that have serious deficiencies and all patients receive 32 minutes of daily healthcare per day on average. Furthermore, only 8% of professionals in senior citizens facilities have a Registered Nurse or higher designation. The nursing homes in this state seem to be vulnerable to lawsuits and that is quite discouraging.
What Are the Most Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse Cases?
Nursing home abuse and neglect come in different forms, some of which are listed below. Abuse is usually physical in nature but can also take the form of neglect, according to Social Work Today.
Medical Neglect
This happens when a nursing home staff fails to meet a resident’s health care needs. One example of medical negligence would be if the individual does not get their prescribed medication because the nursing care staff failed to follow up with them.
- In the event that you do somehow fail to administer your medication, it is necessary that you contact a medical professional. You can also contact them if you have administered the wrong medication to someone else.
- Insufficient medical care for a condition like diabetes or dementia could lead to serious health complications.
- We’re unable to move your senior for the next few hours. She has bursitis and we need to keep her content, or there may be a risk of her getting a bed sore.
- Not reporting your infection signs to nurses or doctors can cause the potential spread of HIV or other types of infections.
Social/Emotional Abuse
Social interactions often improve an elderly resident’s mental health. However, certain nursing home employees can prevent residents from mingling and therefore negatively impacting their mental and emotional health. An excellent example of this is isolating vulnerable residents.
Physical Abuse
That type of physical abuse is extremely harmful to elders in both the short- and long-term. In some cases, they’re left with injuries, illnesses, and death. Those types of consequences are absolutely terrifying for those that suffer from it.
Sexual Abuse
Non-contact sexual harassment can involve any unwanted behavior that causes fear and anxiety in an older adult. This will be different depending on the age of the person being harassed, but can involve anything from unwanted flirting or touching to abusive language or continued threats.
Mental Abuse
This means verbal and non-verbal behaviors that cause an older person anguish, fear, mental pain, or distress. For instance, humiliating and disrespecting the elderly harassing someone verbally or non-verbally; threats about personal safety or geographic isolation are some of the ways psychological abuse can be damaging.
Neglect
Nursing home neglect covers inadequate food, shelter, hygiene, clothing, water and essential medical care.
Financial Abuse
This is the illegal act of using someone’s money to benefit you. It can be done by a nursing staff member who commits financial abuse. The nurse would face criminal charges.
What Causes Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse and neglect are no different than any other type of workplace abuse. Factors that lead to it include:
- Inadequate staffing.
- Negligent hiring practices.
- Individual resident risk factors.
- There are parts of the hospital that need to be trained/staffed in order to function properly as an efficient, functional unit. There are also problems with the lack of experienced nursing personnel in general.
- Underpaid staff.
- Supervision, management, and accountability all play an important role in making a business successful. If companies are not providing these things to their employees, they might be facing poor results.
- Individual caregiver issues.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
When a loved one is left in a care facility it’s important that they receive a high quality of care, so you need to be cognizant of all deviations from the standards. But there are ways to identify when abuse or neglect has occurred. You should keep an eye out for these signs and symptoms.
- Broken bones.
- Dehydration.
- Bedsores are a common consequence of pressure and friction.
- Bruises.
- Insomnia.
- Burns.
- Personal hygiene issues.
- Malnutrition.
- Significant personality changes.
- New or untreated medical conditions.
- Other unexplained injuries.
Has a loved one been injured in a nursing home?
If you suspect elder abuse or neglect at a nursing home, contact us immediately. Our lawyers will launch an investigation to determine the validity of your claim. If they find proof, they will help you take legal action.
Can You Sue for Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect in Memphis?
Tennessee law protects adults aged 60 or older from physical abuse and emotional neglect inflicted by caregivers. If you think your loved one’s elder care facility is abusing and neglecting them, the first step is to contact Elderly Protective Services (EPS).
You can consider suing a care facility in Memphis if they inflicted harm on your elderly relative. A lot of people have won lawsuits against that city in some very big cases, but you have to be persistent and put in the time it takes to win. The first step is to find a neglect attorney and have mental health documents stating the abuse.
How Do You Prove Negligence in a Nursing Home?
You need evidence that a care facility was negligent before taking legal action. To do this, you would inspect the following:
- Watching and noting signs of abuse.
- Obtaining your nursing home and medical records.
- Taking photographs of the hazardous living conditions.
- I’m sorry. All I can find is that a complaint was filed with the EPS, but I cannot account for it again. Please contact our Customer Service team and they should be able to help you out.
- Taking witness statements.
- This information is critical for ensuring that the nursing home meets regulations. Workers are being put at risk, medical errors are being made, and lives can be lost without this crucial piece of data.
- Hiring an experienced attorney lets you focus on other important aspects of your business.
What Is the Role of a Memphis Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer?
When you suspect that your loved one is being mistreated, contact a lawyer right away to start an investigation. Having an attorney conduct the investigation will help ensure that your loved one’s rights are never violated and they’re always afforded the best care possible. Once they find proof, they’ll provide you with legal action against the living facility
A civil lawsuit can grow to be an expensive undertaking, and it might not be the best course of action in some scenarios. If you believe your loved one has been harmed by abuse, please file a criminal complaint with law enforcement.There are two main benefits of engaging a lawyer for legal representation. First, a lawyer can provide advice on how to best protect your rights in case you get into trouble with the law. Second, but even more important, is that the lawyers will head up any civil or criminal proceedings so you can confront the other party yourself.
At Wright & Gray, we believe in providing the best legal representation possible. We will fight for and protect your loved one’s right while you get justice. Call us today for a free consultation.
