Nursing Home Abuse: Separating Myth from Fact
July 25, 2017Everyone agrees that instances of nursing home abuse are cause for alarm. But most people do not understand the various types of abuse that can occur, and the shocking frequency of physical, emotional, and financial abuse that our loved ones endure.
When families make the decision to place an elderly or special needs loved one in a nursing home facility, they expect both healthcare professionals and staff to treat their family members with respect, kindness, and dignity. Sadly, whether because of profit-hungry policies or negligent hiring, many nursing home facilities do not take proper care of their patients.
Lowe Scott Fisher Co., LPA’s nursing home abuse lawyers are available now to help you and your loved ones understand your rights if you believe abuse has occurred.
Not All Abuse is Intentional
Nursing home abuse can be intentional. Professionals and staff may maltreat patients for a variety of reasons, and if you are aware of any intentional maltreatment you should contact an attorney immediately.
Not all abuse is intentional, however. Frequently, nursing home abuse involves neglect, unsafe conditions, understaffing, or insufficient supervision. In these cases, though employees may not intend to cause harm, harm nonetheless can occur because of negligent practices or policies.
These “unintentional” instances of abuse are unacceptable. Nursing home administrators and staff owe a duty to every patient to provide the level of care required to keep residents safe, healthy, and reasonably free from harmful risks.
Not All Abuse is Physical
While nursing home abuse frequently involves physical injuries, some types of abuse to do involve harm to a patient’s body. Emotional or social neglect and financial exploitation are examples of some common nursing home abuses that cannot be discovered by bruises, breaks, or lacerations.
If a loved one relays to you that they have suffered in any way—even if they have not sustained physical injury—they may be in an unsafe environment. Moreover, they may have already suffered emotional or financial damage for which a nursing home abuse lawyer should be consulted.
Not All Abuse is Reported
Governmental agencies do a respectable job providing resources to the public regarding reported incidents at Ohio nursing home facilities. However, nursing home abuses go largely unreported.
Physical abuse, emotional abuse, and particularly financial exploitation appear to be underestimated in available government statistics. This suggest that no nursing home facility is beyond reproach; abuse happens all the time, and it can happen anywhere, regardless of a facility’s rating.
What You Can Do
Above all, families of nursing home facility patients are encouraged to regularly discuss a facility’s performance with residents and do not take any reports of possible abuse lightly. Believe your loved ones if they make complaints about a facility.
Nursing home abuse lawyers at Lowe Scott Fisher Co., LPA offer free consultations if you believe your loved one has suffered due to abuse at an Ohio facility. With combined decades of experience representing individuals injured by negligence, the Lowe Eklund team can review your case and help you determine if you have grounds for legal action against a harmful nursing home facility.
Lowe Scott Fisher Co., LPA – Cleveland Ohio Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
Call now for your free telephone consultation and let our team protect your family.
