Dallas Nursing Home Attorney | Reporting Elder Abuse Correctly Can Save Your Case

Reporting Elder Abuse Correctly Can Save Your Case

Reporting elder abuse needs to be done as soon as possible after it is discovered. You should be willing to report this to the authorities right away. The faster they can start investigating the matter, the faster it can be brought to an end. There are other parties that you need to report this abuse to, as well, to make sure that it doesn't go on after it is discovered.

The Nursing Home

The nursing home management should be informed immediately if something is going on with their staff, or if you suspect something. Realize that they may not take your complaints seriously or that they may try to placate you, especially if you're reporting the abuse based on what your loved one said. Unfortunately, may people with dementia and other conditions report being abused when it isn't happening at all. This leads some care providers to be too ready to dismiss cases where elderly people claim to have been abused.

Your Doctor

Your loved one's doctor will want to know if there is abuse going on. Abuse means that the doctor cannot have confidence that the treatments they order are being given properly as the staff is most certainly not professional. You should have your doctor document any signs of abuse you see on your loved one, as well, as this will be important evidence to have. Most of the time, an entire facility isn't abusive, it's one or a few employees that are guilty of it. You may not have to remove your loved one from the facility because a few employees are abusive, particularly if the facility is good otherwise.

Getting Help

Finding help for these situations is sometimes a bit difficult, but it can be done. There are advocates that work specifically for the needs of elderly people and who may be able to help you resolve the issue.

If a facility allowed the abuse to go on and didn't intervene—or didn’t even notice—you may want to consider suing for negligence. This is something that a nursing home abuse lawyer can help you to do. You may not have cause to sue in all cases but, if you do, the lawyer will be able to tell you how to proceed and how to go about making sure that your loved one's interests are represented in court. You may get a settlement or jury award that can cover the cost of moving your loved one to a different facility.