3 Resources for Detecting Nursing Home Abuse

If you believe that your loved one is being neglected of abused in a nursing home setting, the most important job you have in front of you is bringing the abuse to an end. To do this, of course, you have to establish that there is abuse going on. Here are three resources you can turn to determine whether or not there may be an abuse problem at the facility.

1: The Victim

It's sometimes hard to get victims to open up about being abused, so you have to be a bit savvy to get them to do so sometimes. The best way to go about this is to make sure that they know that they're safe talking to you about it and to pry a bit to see if you can get them to open up. You may notice that they have some psychological changes and asking them about why they've been withdrawn or depressed may provide the opening to breech the issue.

2: Other Residents

Other residents may sometimes be willing to tell you what's going on. Make sure to pay attention to what they say, because they may not directly say that someone is being abused. They may mention that a particular staff member doesn't like your loved one or something to that nature, but be sharp about picking up on hints that might be a bit cryptic sometimes. Other residents that have been the victims of abuse may end up opening up about their situations before your loved one does, and you should definitely consider this a warning sign that the facility is abusive in general.

3: Doctors

Your physician may be able to determine if there is some sort of abuse going on via a physical exam. It's easy enough to get someone to go to the doctor and you don’t have to let on that you suspect something is wrong before the exam. If there are signs of physical or sexual abuse, it's likely that the doctor will notice them and be able to tell you what steps you should take to remedy the situation. The doctor will also likely notice if the treatments that they've ordered have not been given as prescribed, which is a sign of neglect.

Reporting elder abuse to the appropriate agencies is necessary, but you may also want to consult about filing a lawsuit with a nursing home abuse lawyer.

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