Recognizing Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse
Recognizing the common signs of nursing home abuse can be vital for protecting your loved one from future abuse. Knowing the different forms of abuse can help you put a stop to any kind of harm your loved one may be facing, whether that harm is physical or financial. Talk to a Delaware nursing home abuse lawyer if you suspect your loved one has been abused. We are here to help you figure out your legal options, so action can be taken.
TYPES OF NURSING HOME ABUSE
The main types of nursing home abuse to look out for include physical, emotional or psychological, sexual, and financial abuse. Neglect can also be damaging. Physical abuse can not only cause injury but can also lead to psychological damage. The person who is physically abused by nursing staff may grow to distrust medical staff and this may carry over to other people. This type of abuse is defined as any kind of force that is strong enough to injure another person.
Emotional or psychological abuse can come from physical or sexual abuse, but may also come from neglect or significant mistreatment. Mistreatment can be anything from verbal disrespect like name-calling to completely ignoring a person. Over time, repeated mistreatment like this can create anxiety because the person feels like no one is listening, which means their needs may not be met.
Sexual abuse ranges from forcing a person to view pornography to sexual assault or rape. Financial abuse usually involves fraud that takes advantage of the elderly person’s situation to steal money or engage in embezzlement. Neglect either involves intentionally ignoring the needs of elderly residents or failing to provide basic care for significantly long periods of time. This often leads to problems with hygiene, paying bills, or eating.
RECOGNIZING SIGNS OF ABUSE
Finding signs of abuse is important for knowing when to take action. You want to make sure the signs are genuine and you are not falsely accusing someone, but at the same time, you do not want to miss subtle signs. There are different signs for different forms of abuse.
Physical abuse can often be the easiest to spot. Look for bruises, scratches, and other injuries. The red flag to watch for with these types of injuries is when your loved one cannot explain the cause or claims that someone else caused the injury. Psychological abuse may manifest itself with significant changes in personality like withdrawal from socializing or activities, a depressed mood, increased argumentativeness, or being easily startled by others.
Financial abuse can be seen with an unexplained loss of money in your loved one’s account. Neglect may appear through bedsores, weight loss, or problems with hygiene.
NURSING HOME ABUSE LAWYER IN DELAWARE
Figuring out your legal options after finding signs of nursing home abuse can feel daunting at first, especially if nursing home staff deny your claim. Talking to a Personal injury lawyer in Delaware might be able to help you navigate the situation. All you have to do is contact Edelstein Martin & Nelson today at (302) 295-5050 for a free consultation.