Our East Greenwich, RI nursing home lawyer knows that when you are dealing with an issue at your loved one’s nursing home, you may not be sure of what steps to take. Are you even sure if abuse or neglect has occurred? You may not want to cause a problem when there is not actually a problem; however, our team of lawyers knows that you are likely your loved one’s best advocate and if you suspect that neglect or abuse has occurred with your loved one in their nursing home, it is best to reach out to a lawyer and present the facts. We can work through this case with you, determine if the nursing home is in the wrong, and take further action. We believe your loved one should be free to live in a nursing home where they are cared for without the risk of harm. Call McCarthy Law, LLC now.
Your Trusted East Greenwich Nursing Home Attorney
Our nursing home attorney East Greenwich, RI trusts know that when people think of abuse, often they think of very clear signs of abuse like bruises or cuts. If your loved one does not have these signs of abuse, it does not mean that something wrong did not happen. Below, our nursing home lawyer lists other types of abuse and neglect that your loved one may have experienced.
- Dehydration or malnutrition. Neglect can come in the forms of dehydration or malnutrition. The nursing home is obligated to provide your loved one with the basic standard of care, including things like food and water.
- Errors with medication. One of the reasons your loved one is in the nursing home might be because they need medical help you cannot give them. If the nurses at the nursing home do not give your loved one the right medication, enough medication, or too much medication, this is a form of abuse and could result in your loved one losing their life.
- Bedsores. You may think that if your loved one is unable to walk on their own then bedsores will follow. However, the staff at the nursing home are supposed to take certain measures to make sure this doesn’t happen, including getting your loved one out of their bed or rolling them to a different side.
- Physical abuse: Nursing home staff members may purposefully cause physical harm to a resident. Common instances of this would be hitting, kicking, pushing, or otherwise inflicting physical injury. As a nursing home lawyer East Greenwich, RI families trust would explain, there is no excuse for physical harm of a senior resident, no matter how frustrated or overworked the staff member is at the time.
- Emotional abuse: Any action that affects the senior person’s mental wellbeing can be considered emotional abuse. Staff may yell, taunt, threaten, make fun of, or intimidate as means to get the resident to be more cooperative. Under no circumstances should a staff member act in such a way, as the psychological effects can be lasting and damaging.
- Sexual abuse: Any kind of unwanted sexual activity constitutes as sexual abuse. As much as we don’t want to imagine a senior relative being sexually assaulted, they are vulnerable to this type of abuse, and even more so if they don’t have the mental capacity to tell someone. Sexual abuse in nursing homes are truly distressing cases, and require assistance from an experienced East Greenwich nursing home attorney.
- Sleep disorders: Your senior loved one may have problems sleeping, or sleep too much, as a result of other kinds of abuse. Stress from mistreatment may cause a resident to develop insomnia, or they sleep excessively as a coping strategy to avoid certain staff members. If you notice your loved one is sleeping too much, or struggling to sleep at all, then you may want to consider what could be contributing to this issue.
- Unexplained conditions: As a close relative of a senior person in a nursing home, it will be important that you are involved with their medical care, and are informed about new diagnosis or medications. However, be wary that a condition could have many influencing factors, including the stress of being abused. You may notice that there are treatments provided for your relative without an explanation. Unexplained conditions, injuries, or medication use must be given a second look.
- Head or dental injuries: Your loved one may have fallen out of their bed, a chair, or wheelchair because of abuse or neglect. Maybe they were pushed, or left unattended, which led to serious injury. Inform your lawyer if there have been incidents that caused head trauma or dental injuries, as they can investigate further to see if there may be foul play involved.
- Unexplained weight loss: Stress from abuse or neglect can result in unexplained weight loss. It may also point to malnutrition and lack of food assistance if that is something your loved one needs in order to eat. This is even more true if there is no medical condition correlated to weight loss. By staying attentive to your relative’s medical care and observing for concerning symptoms, you are better able to know when mistreatment is happening, and take action to protect your loved one.
Learn More About How We Can Help You in East Greenwich, Rhode Island!
Our East Greenwich lawyer nursing home team understands the emotional turmoil of realizing that your senior relative may be the victim of abuse or neglect at a nursing home. These are very serious and delicate cases that require immediate intervention from a qualified legal team. We encourage family members to reach out if they suspect something isn’t right with their relative’s care, even if you can’t seem to explain why. Sometimes that gut feeling tells us all we need to know. And remember, if your loved one is being abused, they may be too afraid to tell you out of fear of repeated or worsened offenses. You may need a lawyer to investigate and figure out exactly what is going on. If you would like to see what our lawyers can do for you, call McCarthy Law, LLC now. Our nursing home lawyer is waiting to hear from you.