Nursing home staff can behave negligently and recklessly with their elderly patients and cause them severe harm. Nursing home abuse can include instances of physical, emotional, and financial abuse. The staff responsible for taking care of their patients can also neglect their duties, leading to their patients experiencing negative health complications.
If you suffered from nursing home abuse, you could file a nursing home abuse claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company to hold them accountable for damages, such as medical bills, pain and suffering, and mental anguish.
A nursing home abuse lawyer can help recover compensatory damages, as they have vast experience they can call upon to inform the claim process. They can help determine who caused the nursing home abuse, collect evidence to prove your case and negotiate a fair settlement with the at-fault party’s insurance company.
What is Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse is when a person living in a nursing home receives harm from negligent or harmful care from the nursing home’s staff. Caretakers in nursing homes owe it to those living there to care for them based on industry-wide best practices. Failing to do so can lead to severe injuries and medical conditions for nursing home patients.
According to a 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) study, one in every six people over 60 experiences some form of nursing home abuse. Nursing home residents who suffer significant damages due to nursing home abuse can file a nursing home abuse claim to hold the negligent party accountable for failing to adhere to the duty of care and causing harm.
Physical Nursing Home Abuse Can Cause Severe Injuries
One of the most common types of nursing abuse is physical abuse. This is when nursing home staff causes intentional physical harm to a resident. This is a very dangerous type of nursing home abuse, as it can lead to a life-threatening injury.
People living in nursing homes are much older, and their bodies may be unable to withstand significant physical trauma. Physical nursing home abuse can cause severe bodily injuries, such as broken bones, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and back and neck injuries.
Some examples of physical abuse in a nursing home include striking, shoving, pushing, punching, kicking, or slapping a resident. There also may be circumstances where a patient refuses to eat. If a nursing home staff member physically forces them to eat, that counts as excessive physical abuse. Nursing home staff can also be held liable for physical abuse for the improper and excessive use of restraints.
Harmful Effects of Neglect in Nursing Homes
Nursing home staff can also abuse their residents by neglecting to provide basic care and fulfill essential needs. Nursing home residents need help getting through the day, as their age and medical conditions can make it hard to live independently.
The staff responsible for them should assist them with regular everyday activities. If they do not provide the requisite help the nursing home residents require, they can suffer harm to their physical and mental health.
The following are some examples of nursing home neglect:
- Not providing food or water
- Failing to give out necessary medicine
- Not supervising residents
- Failing to assist residents who need help going to the bathroom
- Not caring for incontinent residents
Emotional Abuse in Nursing Homes
Emotional abuse in a nursing home is when a staff member demeans, threatens, mocks, or humiliates a nursing home resident. This type of abuse usually comes with physical abuse or neglect, as poor treatment of residents comes hand-in-hand with these types of abuse.
Some examples of emotionally abusive behavior include verbal assaults, name-calling, yelling at a resident, humiliating a resident in front of others, and giving a resident silent treatment.
Each of these examples of emotional abuse can result in negative mental health effects for the resident. Although these can be isolated incidents, they can also indicate how a staff member will treat a resident moving forward. They can experience low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety from being around an emotionally abusive staff member daily.
Elderly Patients Can Experience Financial Abuse in Nursing Homes
Nursing home residents can also experience financial exploitation from nursing home staff. They can suffer financial abuse when nursing home staff disallows them from accessing their assets, misappropriates their funds, and uses the money for medical care for other means.
In some cases, nursing home staff may exploit a resident with a medical condition that causes reduced mental capacity. They may not fathom what is happening with their financial assets, allowing the at-fault party to steal money without the nursing home resident realizing it.
How Can a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Help With Your Claim?
Nursing home residents can suffer significant damages from nursing home abuse, such as medical bills, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life. To recover compensation for damages, they could file a nursing home abuse claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. However, proving their claim can be difficult to manage as they recover from physical or mental medical conditions.
Hiring a nursing home abuse lawyer gives a victim the best chance to recover compensation for the abuse’s physical, emotional, and economic fallout. They can help calculate the value of their damages, determine the at-fault party, explain their rights, gather evidence, and negotiate a fair settlement. Speak to local nursing home abuse attorneys today to learn about your options for recovering fair compensatory damages.
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Nursing Home Abuse Claim
The Russo Firm is a personal injury law firm with nursing home abuse lawyers with decades of experience helping victims recover compensation for physical, emotional, caretaking, and financial abuse. We understand the impact a negligent caretaker can have, especially on someone who needs assistance with daily tasks due to their declining health.
We can use our experience to help craft a legal counsel plan that can hold negligent or intentionally harmful caretakers accountable for the harm caused by nursing home abuse. Contact us for a free case evaluation at (561) 270-0913 or leave a message on our online contact page.
