Sign of Nursing Home Abuse
When it comes time to put an aging relative in a nursing home, you may have feelings of guilt. However, focusing on the good that comes from supervised care is something that helps ease the worry. You have heard about some of the negative things that go on inside nursing homes and how the residents sometimes suffer as a result. You do not want to allow the same thing to happen to your loved one. How can you help prevent it? Become familiar with some of the common signs that a nursing home is not sufficiently caring for patients.
Physical Signs of Negligence
Abuse and neglect are two prongs of the same issue inside a nursing home. Patients need constant monitoring, and while some need more hands-on care than others, facilities must provide the requisite measure of care. When a nursing home is negligent, meaning the staff fails to provide adequate supervision and care, it falls under the umbrella of abuse. If you are keeping a watchful eye on how your loved one seems to be cared for, there are some obvious red flags.
- Bruising and inexplicable lacerations
- Recurring infections
- Dramatic weight loss
- Changes in behavior
The most obvious sign that a loved one’s nursing home staff is negligent is the presence of bed sores. These skin ulcers form in areas that have the most pressure exerted on them. The staff must regularly move immobile patients to help avoid bed sores from developing, as they can lead to terrible infections. If you notice that bed sores are growing, it is a sign that the staff is not doing their job.
Signs of Mental Abuse
Some nursing home patients experience verbal and psychological abuse by staff and even other residents. While there is no physical manifestation necessarily, the signs of mental abuse may begin to pop up over time. For example, if the sound of a certain staff member’s voice makes your loved one fall silent, appear visibly shaken, or even defecate, you may want to do some digging. Verbal abuse is one of the worst things residents in a nursing home can endure, as the fear can cause immense stress on their bodies and lead to cardiac and stroke events.
Should you start to notice the signs that your loved one’s nursing home may not be all you thought, it is crucial that you get help. A lawyer, like a nursing home lawyer from Brown Kiely LLP, is an ally in the fight for your aging relative’s health and rights.