If you regularly visit your family member in a nursing home, or if your loved one receives health care at home, you naturally want to help ensure that he or she is being properly cared for. How will you know if your loved one is being abused or neglected? How can you differentiate between a natural decline in health associated with aging and an unnatural decline in well-being triggered by negligence of caregivers?
If you are in doubt about the cause of your loved one's decline in a nursing home or assisted living facility, or in the course of at-home care, it is probably time to talk to a nursing home neglect attorney. Contact the Law Offices of Roy S. Hiller to schedule a free initial consultation and discuss your concerns with an experienced lawyer.
Ask a Lawyer About Suspected Abuse in a Nursing Home
In a conversation with a lawyer at our law firm, we will invite you to describe your observations that have led you to contact us. We will also share with you some of the most common signs of abuse or neglect in a nursing home setting:
- Bedsores: Decubitus ulcers are not inevitable. They nearly always indicate that the resident or patient has not been turned regularly.
- Dehydration: This is also not normal — and is typically a sign that caregivers have been in a hurry, perhaps overworked or short on patience when helping residents at mealtime.
- Malnourishment: This is often demonstrated through weight loss. Some medical conditions may have an effect on a body's ability to process food. However, malnourishment may also be an indication that the elderly or disabled person is not receiving the assistance and encouragement that he or she needs to eat well and maintain a healthy weight.
- Unkempt appearance: Are clothes not being changed regularly?
- Bruises or bumps: These may be a sign of injury caused by restraint devices, or they may indicate falls. They may also be an indication of assault.
It is a good thing to inquire with an attorney about classic signs of nursing home neglect if you suspect that your loved one has been abused or neglected. We hope you will take the next step and talk to a lawyer about your specific concerns.
Get Legal Advice About Alleged Elder Abuse in Home Health Care
You may suspect elder abuse or neglect of one or more of the following types when your loved one is receiving personal or nursing care at home:
- Physical abuse: Does the person who is cared for have unexplained injuries or signs of a drug overdose?
- Emotional abuse: Is there any indication that the caregiver berates or humiliates the person who is receiving care?
- Sexual abuse: There may be reports from the client as well as physical evidence of sexual abuse.
- Neglect: Was the client left unbathed, left alone to wander in a public place, not fed as scheduled or not helped with medication as per agreement? Was your loved one injured unexplainably, or did he or she die suddenly when the caregiver had failed to visit as planned?
- Financial exploitation: Do you have reason to suspect that your elderly relative has given large gifts of money or valuable items to the caregiver, in violation of the health care agency's policies or out of character for the older person? Are there large unexplained bank withdrawals?
- Health care fraud: Did the caregiver double bill for the same services or report care sessions which you discover did not take place?
Experienced New York City Nursing Home Resident Injury Lawyer
Schedule a free consultation by contacting our New York City nursing home neglect law firm and learn how our personal injury lawyers can help evaluate your potential case.
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