One of the more dismaying episodes that can happen to a family is realizing a disabled relative is suffering neglect or outright abuse in a nursing home setting. The family trusted the staff members to take care of their loved one, and they feel betrayed and angry. To make matters more difficult, the nursing home resident may deny the family’s suspicions and refuse to talk about the situation. Residents with dementia may not fully understand or remember what has been happening, or they may be unable to communicate information about it coherently. A Nursing Home Injury Lawyer can help these families by initiating an investigation and demanding deserved financial compensation.
These attorneys have become familiar with the types of neglect and abuse that occur at skilled nursing care facilities that are understaffed or that do not properly train their workers. Staff members may vent their frustration by yelling at residents, swearing at them, making insulting comments or even hitting them. If a resident falls and experiences any sort of injury, staff members may try to hide what happened and not notify the family. Neglect of a bedridden patient can lead to pressure sores that don’t heal. A resident may become dehydrated or not receive enough nutritious food if neglect is characteristic of this facility. Overworked staff members may resort to putting combative residents in physical restraints or giving them sedating medication that can be very dangerous to people with dementia.
Nursing care facilities must be held accountable for these sorts of incidents. A Nursing Home Injury Lawyer helps people who believe or are certain their loved one has been negatively affected by living in one of these communities. The family may not be sure, but may have noticed troubling signs. The disabled relative may have been noticeably lacking in personal hygiene when someone came to visit, for example. Those bathing and grooming tasks should be handled by nursing assistant or personal care employees. Unexplained bruises may have appeared on the person’s arms. The resident may appear to feel afraid of staff members. Families who don’t know where to turn may contact a lawyer such as Mark Aberasturi for a free initial consultation.
