Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

• Bandages, bleeding, or bruising
• Open wounds, cuts, burns, or bed sores
• Ligature marks around the mouth, throat, wrists, or ankles
• Injuries from restraint or lack of restraint
• Unexplained falls
• Sudden changes in weight
• Poor hygiene, soiling, urine or feces odor
• Serious infections
• Hair loss
• Torn, stained, or bloody clothing or bedding
• Overall uncleanliness of living quarters
• Indications of sexual abuse

While the physical signs of nursing home abuse may be evident, emotional abuse is more difficult to detect. Emotional abuse can include insults, threats, humiliation, or intimidation of the patient. To help identify abuse, family members should be alert to changes in the patient’s behavior, such as:

• Listlessness or unresponsiveness
• Infantile or other unusual behaviors
• Physical or emotional withdrawal
• Depression
• Refusal or reluctance to speak
• Changes in sleeping patterns or wakefulness

In addition to physical and emotional abuse, nursing home residents are sometimes subject to financial exploitation. The most apparent indication is sudden or unusual financial transactions. Like all forms of abuse, if you suspect any financial wrongdoing, contact the authorities immediately and then seek legal representation to help protect your family’s rights. Some of the signs of financial exploitation include:

• Unusual withdrawals or charges
• Large withdrawals or charges
• Changes to wills or other financial documents
• Missing valuables
• An addition of a person to a financial account

Nursing homes should maintain adequate security to prevent residents from placing themselves in danger and prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the facility. Other types of neglect can include:

• Failure to provide adequate food, clothing, and shelter
• Failure to provide needed medical care
• Failure to prevent falls
• Failure to prevent malnutrition and dehydration
• Failure to assist with personal hygiene