Nursing home neglect and abuse is a serious problem in the country. Many people suffer from it because their loved ones fail to identify there's a problem in the first place. To be fair, it's difficult to foresee that the person responsible for protecting someone is hurting them.
When people talk about nursing home injuries, they often think of bruises, bedsores, or fractures. Those, of course, are common in these situations, and it's important to keep an eye on them. While these are common issues, they're not the only concerns.
Unfortunately, nursing home residents go through emotional and financial exploitation, too. If abuse is proven, victims can seek compensation to help them recover and achieve justice.
The first step to identifying the injuries nursing home residents suffer is to understand the problems they could go through while staying in a healthcare facility. This page aims to help people learn more about these issues.
If a family member of a patient notices signs of nursing home injuries, it's time to take legal action against the facility. They can do it with help from the Law Office of Carl Maltese who can also advise on common injuries for a workplace accident.
This law firm focuses on personal injury cases, such as nursing home abuse.
What Are the Most Common Nursing Home Injuries?
Below, people will find the most common injuries patients suffer in nursing homes. To make everything clear, they are classified as physical, emotional, and financial damage.
Personal injury, rather than something entirely physical, is a legal concept that encompasses any kind of damage victims suffer due to the negligence of another party. Therefore, people can seek financial compensation for the problems shown on this page.
That being said, these are the most common injuries a nursing home resident can suffer:
Physical Injuries
Physical injuries are, logically, the easiest to notice. They can come from direct abuse or neglect. Bedsores are a clear example of that. People can suffer this when they don't get proper care.
Patients who need their caregivers to turn them in while sleeping will most likely get bedsores if they don't receive that care.
Lack of supervision or unsafe facility conditions make patients in nursing homes prone to falling. If that happens, the victim could get fractures, as the elderly have weakened muscles and bones.
Burns can result from intentional harm or neglect. In both cases, the victims can sue the liable party for nursing home negligence. When victims go through this problem, it's often due to scalding or cigarette burns.
Lacerations are a clear sign of assault. The same happens with unexplained bruises. This could lead to serious injuries and even broken bones, so it's essential to perform a physical examination of all patients every now and then.
Even if the bruises don't come from direct physical abuse, they would still be a sign of neglect. Malnutrition and dehydration are problems in nursing homes as well.
Over or undermedication is highly dangerous to the elderly, whether it happens due to negligence or ill intent.
While other types of injuries exist, these are among the most common and serious. People have died in nursing homes because their loved ones didn't notice there was a problem on time.
Whether it's neglect or abuse, it's crucial to ensure loved ones receive proper care. If someone notices anything off, they must act right away.
Although falling may not represent a huge problem for young people, older adults could suffer spinal injuries and severe health issues because of it. Filing a personal injury claim for elder abuse will help other residents going through the same situation. For more information, the best personal injury attorney on Long Island may be able to help.
Emotional Injuries
Emotional injuries, while less visible than physical ones, can be equally devastating. Medication errors, neglect, or direct abuse could cause depression and anxiety. This makes recovery treatments more difficult.
Other emotional issues residents may go through are loss of self-esteem, social isolation, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. Although it's more challenging to prove victims suffer this kind of nursing home injury in a court of law, they still can get compensation if they do it.
The reason it's often difficult to notice this issue is because the staff members or people responsible for the abuse threat victims. To identify it, family members must watch out for any odd behavior in their loved one or fear reaction when the personnel of the nursing home are around.
Financial Injuries
Financial injuries are also a threat for residents of a nursing home facility. Some examples are theft, forged checks, or misappropriation of funds.
Theft includes stealing cash, jewelry, or any other valuables that belong to the victim. Staff members or caregivers may also use the residents' credit cards without authorization.
Sometimes, giving a caregiver a power of attorney could be dangerous. They can misuse it to make unfair financial moves to benefit themselves.
If someone hires adult protective services, they must check their loved one's bank accounts regularly to make sure everything is going well. The same happens with any physical valuables they have.
What Can People Do to Help Nursing Home Residents Going Through Abuse?
The first thing to do to help people going through nursing home abuse is to call a local law enforcement officer to open an investigation. They will determine if there's anything wrong and collect evidence to build a case.
No one can erase the past, but family members can hire nursing home injury lawyers to sue the healthcare facility and get justice for what happened.
Needless to say, people should take residents out of that place immediately after they notice a problem. Even if it's just a suspicion, it will keep a potential issue from worsening and can prevent nursing home injuries.
Once they do that, they should make the resident undergo physical and psychological examinations to determine how severe the problem at hand is.
Final Thoughts - Personal Injury Lawyers Ready to Help Victims in Long Island, New York
Nursing home abuse and neglect is dangerous because it can happen in many ways. Even if staff members don't mistreat patients directly, environmental hazards could hurt them.
This could happen in a healthcare facility with inexperienced workers or certified nursing assistants. Anyone going through this problem must hire a nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible.
They will start an independent investigation to get enough evidence to file a lawsuit against the liable parties for the abuse or neglect. That includes the healthcare facility as an entity, nursing home employees, contractors, or other residents.
The Law Office of Carl Maltese works with experts on the matter and can help anyone in need of legal assistance. Victims should call it today to schedule a free consultation with one of its lawyers.