Elder Abuse in Nursing

Nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals wield a lot of power. Most people are inclined to take the word of these professionals in any situation that has to do with their medical care. Elder abuse in nursing is a common occurrence, and it takes several different forms. It may involve someone actively abusing an elder or it may simply mean that an elder is deliberately denied needed care. In some cases, sexual and other egregious forms of abuse have been reported. In far too many cases, the abuse is not reported at all.

Reporting elder abuse is always difficult, especially for the elders themselves. There is an ageist bias among some individuals and, when someone’s stories seem outrageous and the person telling them also happens to be advanced in age, it’s very easy to simply dismiss them as delusions caused by the degrade of the elder’s mind. In some cases, this may end up with the elder being foiled and frustrated so often that they choose to endure the abuse, thinking that they have no other realistic options. this can make the situation much worse. An abuser who feels safe is more likely to abuse more often and more seriously.

In nursing homes, some problem patients are over-medicated to keep them quiet. Senior citizens who have mental issues can be notoriously difficult to deal with. When the staff isn’t professional enough to handle that challenge, they sometimes seek to make things easier on themselves at the expense of their patients. For senior citizens, this may mean being drugged to the point of being incapacitated, not being given treatments at all or being given treatment in such a sloppy and unprofessional way that it actually poses more of a threat to the patient than anything else.

You can usually find a nursing home neglect attorney who offers free consultations. This means that you can go over your case with them and determine whether or not you have a claim that might win in court. If you do, some of those same attorneys will handle your claim on a contingency basis, meaning that you owe them no legal fees if they don’t win. If your loved one is at risk to their health, removing them from the facility before doing anything else may be the best course of action, simply to make sure that the abuse ends.

RASANSKY LAW FIRM
2525 McKinnon Street
Dallas, Texas 75201
CALL US AT 1 800 ATTORNEY
(214) 747-HELP (4357)