Arlington Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Many families have entrusted the care of their loved ones to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. If abuse or neglect has occurred to your loved one while residing in one of these facilities, an Arlington nursing home abuse lawyer may be a good source of advice.
Although abuse and neglect may not always surface right away, friends and family members should make a point of checking on their loved ones frequently while they are residing in nursing home and other care facilities. Identifying the warning signs of abuse or neglect can be crucial to protecting your loved one from harm. If you suspect abuse or neglect on the part of the nursing home staff, you may wish to contact a knowledgeable personal injury attorney for further information about your legal options.
Types of Mistreatment in Arlington Assisted Living Facilities
Many older folks have suffered at the hands of nursing home staff. Nursing home abuse does not always mean physical abuse. Emotional abuse, financial exploitation, and sexual abuse are other forms of this type of maltreatment that individuals may experience.
In many cases, nursing home staff are the primary perpetrators of abuse or neglect to residents. However, other residents of nursing homes also may be a source of harm to their fellow residents. If nursing home staff is aware of this abuse and fails to take steps to protect residents, a nursing home maltreatment attorney in Arlington may advise the possibility of liability if injuries to residents occur.
Elderly Neglect
Many people are not surprised to learn that nursing homes are understaffed for the number of patients residing there. Low pay and understaffing can lead to reduced retention rates of employees in nursing homes, which, in turn, can result in severe neglect to residents. For instance, caregivers may overly sedate residents to keep them calm or unnecessarily restrain them for significant amounts of time so that they do not have to spend as much time taking care of these individuals.
What are the Common Signs of Nursing Home Negligence?
Some of the more common signs of neglect may include bedsores, poor hygiene, withdrawal from any social interaction with others, depression, and other indicators of stress. Neglect can cause severe injuries to nursing home residents, especially if they are left unattended for substantial amounts of time. An assisted living home abuse attorney in Arlington may be able to file claims for compensation that allow staff to neglect residents to the point of serious injuries or death.
Recognizing Signs of Maltreatment
Elderly nursing home residents may be hesitant to report abuse out of fear of retaliation, or they may be able to effectively communicate that they are being abused or neglected. If individuals become aware that their loved ones are suffering abuse or neglect while residents of a nursing home, they immediately should take steps to report and prevent further damage.
Family members and close friends may wish to document any unexplained injuries and signs of abuse or neglect in nursing home residents by taking pictures, writing down dates and times, and detailing any explanation for the injuries. Familiarity with the healthcare routine, medications, and daily activities can be crucial to identifying potential abuse or neglect. Likewise, visiting at different points in a day or different days of the week may make it easier to discover any possible abuse or neglect to nursing home residents. An experienced attorney could use evidence of maltreatment such as photographs and medical records to prove negligence
Call an Arlington Nursing Home Abuse Attorney for Help
When loved ones in nursing homes are abused or neglected, you may feel lost, overwhelmed, and guilty because your actions have caused harm. Only an Arlington nursing home abuse lawyer may be able to thoroughly investigate the allegations of physical or emotional harm to your loved one and determine whether liability exists for various parties in your case.
Dealing with nursing home abuse can be a frightening experience that can make you unsure who to trust. Legal counsel may be able to answer your questions and address your concerns throughout the process of holding abusive nursing homes and their staff members accountable for their wrongful actions. Call today to get started.