The mistreatment of nursing home residents creates a shocking problem throughout our local neighborhoods and impacts older adults. Once we entrust our elderly family members to nursing home care, we expect them to receive proper treatment. Sadly, this does not apply to every situation. Senior centers show greater physical or emotional risk for abuse due to certain conditions. The risk of being abused or neglected in a nursing home increases for some senior residents more than others.
Potential risk factors for elder abuse include:
- Being female: Justice Quarterly research shows that women face sexual abuse as victims 67% of the time in cases of elder abuse.
- Being a veteran: Veterans who need more medical care because of their PTSD suffer higher rates of abuse.
- Having a mental illness: According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA) nearly half of seniors with mental impairments become abuse victims.
- Identifying as LGBTQ+: The National Center on Elder Abuse detects that 8 percent of LGBTQ+ older adults encountered caregiver physical abuse in their daily life. Watch closely for warning signs when you take care of an elder person who faces higher abuse risks.
Nursing Home Abuse Laws
Nursing homes must maintain good care standards according to both federal and state laws. When residents suffer abuse, they have the right to take legal action using a lawsuit against the nursing home. Each resident should live in an abuse-free environment and keep a safe home. Residents should have the right to help decide how their medical needs will be met.
Both nursing home residents and their families must be aware of their rights from the start. In this way treatment problems can be found out and fixed before patients suffer significant damage or permanent harm.
Preventing Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse situations often remain unreported. One can take steps to stop abuse from starting or keep it from continuing. Identify the warning signals together with their root causes. Make sure you regularly visit your family member. If needed residents should switch nursing homes to protect their safety before consequences occur. When you work with a nursing home abuse lawyer, they can help you get compensated through legal action against abusive staff members.
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
When nurses abuse senior citizens in nursing facilities a lawyer specializing in nursing home cases can assist you. The victims who used nursing home abuse lawyers achieved notable monetary awards in their cases.