You send your loved ones to a nursing home for extra and appropriate care. What if they face abuse instead? Yes, sexual abuse cases are on the rise today, and this is a sad scenario. Nursing home abuse may be of different types, and many times, your loved ones are scared to speak on that. The abuses can be emotional, physical, or financial abuse, and you need to keep an eye on such violations as older people are vulnerable to ill-treatment and cannot stand for themselves.
Below are listed some of the immediate steps you must take up when you suspect that your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse.
- Look for the signs
Nursing home abuse may be difficult to spot. But there are some signs which you should look for which will indicate unfair treatment by the caregiver.
- Bedsores
- Abrupt weight loss
- The staff doesn’t allow you to meet your loved ones without prior notice.
- Medications not given timely
- Unusual financial transactions
- Unexplained injuries
- Changed behavior of the victim
- Contact an emergency number
If you observe any of the above mentioned signs, call emergency help numbers to make sure that your loved ones get immediate help. This will help them get better care, or you may shift them to another nursing home or take a step that suits them best.
- Collect information
If the situation is not urgent, you can take time and find information to support your concern that your loved one is facing abuse. Often women are susceptible to sexual abuse in nursing homes. Take images of injuries, gather medical records, and speak to other residents or other staff whom you can trust. There is a possibility that what signs you see could be the result of something else.
- Select a better care center for your loved ones
If situations don’t change even upon taking the above steps, you need to think about shifting your loved elderly to another nursing home after gathering accurate information about them. They deserve the care they need, and any situation that could be hostile for them should be removed. It is essential to shift them to a better place before you file a claim.
- Hire an attorney
After taking steps to enable a better environment for your loved one, you should take a legal solution. It would be best if you had a lawyer to represent the victim. You should know that lawsuits should be brought against a nursing home abuse within two years from the date of discovery.
When you learn about the abuse of your loved ones, make sure that you take legal recourse. Talk to an experienced lawyer in your locality, discuss your case, understand the possibilities, and know about your rights, despite strict laws. Nursing home negligence and abuse are common occurrences.
Final thoughts
We understand the anguish when you discover that your loved family member is abused at the hands of caregivers or they were neglected and exploited. Nothing can reduce the pain and trauma they go through, yet taking measures to help them and getting the guilty punished is a must as this will save many people who could be their future victims.