Nursing homes are tasked with a big responsibility: taking care of our elderly loved ones. Yet, despite the extensive number of regulatory and statutory protections in place for nursing home residents, far too often nursing homes and their staff stray from the standard of care that they are required to provide. This places nursing home residents at risk of serious harm through abuse and neglect.
What are some common signs of nursing home abuse?
If you’re worried about the care that your loved one is receiving in a nursing home, then you need to be on the lookout for signs of abuse. Those signs may include any of the following:
- Unexplained or poorly explained fractured or broken bones
- Any bruising on the skin
- Welts and burns that may have been caused by physical strikes or restraints
- Cuts and lacerations
- Significant loss of weight
- Dehydration
- Broken personal items, like eyeglasses, that go unrepaired
- Hesitancy on the part of nursing home staff to allow you to visit with your loved one alone
- Your loved one’s excessive fear when around nursing home staff
- Your loved one’s lack of desire to talk about any injuries that he or she may have.
What to do if you see these signs
If you see these warning signs of nursing home abuse, then you need to take action. Ask nursing home staff about the issues to see what explanation they give. Talk to other residents in the nursing home to see if they can give you an idea of the type of care that is provided there and if they’ve seen any abusive behaviors. You may also want to talk to an attorney who can help you gain access to security camera footage and other records that may help you determine the cause of your loved one’s injuries.
Then, if warranted, you and your loved one can take legal action against the nursing home and those who hurt your loved one. If you’d like to learn more about what that process looks like, then please consider reaching out to a law firm like ours to discuss your situation further.