Nursing homes are meant to be a safe place for our elderly loved ones. Oftentimes, family members cannot adequately fulfill the needs of their aging relatives and turn to nursing home facilities to provide them with safe, compassionate care.
Once you have placed your loved one in the care of a nursing home, it is heart-breaking to think that anyone at the facility would harm, neglect, or otherwise mistreat your cherished family member. Unfortunately, incidents of abuse in nursing homes happen all too frequently.
If you suspect that your loved one has suffered at the hands of a care provider, please contact The Helton Law Office today at (859) 236-1010 to discuss your case. We help clients from Danville, Harrodsburg, Lancaster, Stanford, and nearby Kentucky communities.
What is Elderly Abuse?
Elderly abuse encompasses the physical, emotional, and financial mistreatment of an elderly individual. Nursing home abuse is a particularly disturbing form of elderly abuse because it occurs at a place that you have entrusted with the care and wellbeing of someone you love. Nursing home abuse can take many forms, including:
- Physical abuse includes bodily harm caused by hitting, shoving, illegally restraining, or otherwise using inappropriate force.
- Emotional or psychological abuse is harder to identify and can include criticizing, yelling, humiliating, and threatening.
- Sexual abuse includes any unwanted sexual attention or exploitation.
- Financial abuse is also known as financial exploitation and occurs when a caregiver takes advantage of access to a patient’s finances, usually through direct theft.
- Neglect involves the failure to provide an adequate standard of care. Neglect can cause a number of medical conditions and even death. Whether it is caused by understaffing, laziness, or malicious intent, neglect can have devastating effects on your loved one.
- Residential abuse occurs when abuse is perpetrated by other residents. Nursing homes have a duty to protects residents from each other.
Elder Abuse Statistics
With a growing elderly population, there are more than 1.4 million elderly individuals living in nursing homes. Unfortunately, gathering accurate information on instances of abuse in nursing homes can be challenging. Abuse often goes unreported, and when it is reported, it can come in many forms.
However, there are some illuminating facts that we do know about elder abuse. These facts can help illustrate the massive scope of this problem that we are dealing with. For example, we know that each year, hundreds of thousands of people over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited.
These statistics help prove that nursing home abuse a serious, large-scale problem that occurs far too frequently in these facilities.
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
Abuse can be hard to detect, especially if your loved one has no obvious physical injuries or if they are unable to communicate. There are many potential signs of nursing home abuse, such as:
- Physical injuries (bruises, cuts, broken bones)
- Sudden weight loss
- Changes in behavior (acting depressed, irritated, or upset)
- Bed sores
- Poor hygiene
These signs are not always definitive indications of abuse; however, they do warrant a closer look into the conditions in which your loved one lives.
Contact Our Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers
At The Helton Law Office, we want to protect the rights of your loved one. If you suspect an instance of elderly abuse in nursing homes, please call us today at (859) 236-1010 for a consultation. We proudly serve clients all over Central Kentucky, including Danville, Stanford, Harrodsburg and Lancaster.