How One Case of Nursing Home Abuse Was Caught

Senior abuse sometimes takes forms that can fill the average person with rage. In one Philadelphia case, police recently arrested a third suspect after the three of them were allegedly caught on tape abusing a resident. The abuse included humiliation, hitting and screaming at the patient. This type of abuse is all too common.

How it was Caught

In this particular case, the woman's family hid a camera in the room and recorded the abuse, which was then presented to police. The suspects were promptly arrested and put in prison pending a trial. The woman had complained about the abuse and, as is all too frequently the case, those complaints went unheeded for a long time.

Listen to Your Elders

It may be a cliché to tell someone to listen to their elders, but elderly people are oftentimes dismissed as simply being delusional or cranky when they complain about being abused. Whenever an elder complains about being the victim of nursing home mistreatment, it needs to be taken seriously. In many cases, dementia, Alzheimer's and other justifications are used by abusers to convince family members and staff to dismiss the complaints of their victims.

The Consequences

People who are dependent upon treatment in a nursing home are in a vulnerable position. Because they're not listened to in some cases, they may allow the abuse to go on out of fear of retaliation from the staff. There are cases where several staff members may participate in the abuse, which makes it even more dangerous. Given that elderly people oftentimes have significant issues with their health, it's sometimes the case that they are in significant danger to their life and limb because of the abuse.

Fighting Back

Once legal action is taken and the abuse is put to a stop, you may want to file a lawsuit against the negligent facility. There is no reason that the family of someone who was abused should have to face the medical costs, the pain and suffering and the other consequences of such an incident without being compensated for it. This is one of the ways that a good lawyer can help you fight back against such nursing homes and make sure that other nursing homes are on notice that the people they take care of do have ways of holding them accountable for not holding up to their duties to their patients and their families.

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