You may not have wanted to place your elderly relative under nursing home care, but could see no other way to provide the constant care she needed. You assured your loved one that the staff would take good care of her, and that if she had any trouble, she only had to reach out to you. But a few months after your family member got settled in, you noticed a change in her behavior—and in the way the staff treated you when you visited. Is it possible the nursing home facility is trying to hide evidence of abuse?
Our Charleston Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer Can Seek Justice For Your Family
All too often, nursing home residents fall prey to abuse or neglect from irresponsible care facilities. Some are taken advantage of because they are seen as weak, while others are intimidated or bullied by caretakers and are too embarrassed to tell their family members. If someone you love has suffered a sudden decline, we can investigate the facility for evidence of neglect, medication misuse, physical abuse, and other illegal behavior. Call us today to let us help get the respect and fair treatment your loved one deserves.
Nursing home abuse comes in many forms, including:
- Physical and emotional abuse. The most-easily recognized type of abuse is physical, as it leaves unexplained bruises, cuts, burns, or marks on the victim’s skin. Caregivers may hit, push, grab, shove, slap, kick, pinch, or choke residents, or simply use too much force on the resident. Staff members may also inflict emotional abuse, bullying, or threatening to put their victims into a state of constant anxiety that causes their health to deteriorate. In some cases, staff members may inflict sexual abuse, using their power over residents to prevent the family member from telling their relatives.
- Financial abuse. Nursing home residents often require help purchasing groceries and personal items, and can request help from nursing home staff. This can open residents up to financial abuse, especially if they place too much trust in the caretakers who run their personal shopping errands. Some unscrupulous nursing home staff members will attempt to line their pockets by befriending elderly residents, extorting money from them through lies or outright theft.
- Neglect. Understaffed and low-paying nursing homes may hire untrained caregivers who simply don’t have the experience to take care of elderly residents. Staffing issues have led to a number of unethical practices, including using restraints to stop patients from wandering, or using prescription drugs to keep residents in a coma-like state. Facilities without adequate employees may fail to provide residents with enough food and water, or forget to administer their medications on time. Failure to check up on patients can also lead to resident injuries, including slips or serious falls as a patient attempts to get up without help.
- Infections. Care facilities have a duty to maintain residents’ personal hygiene, taking preventive measures to make sure they stay in good health. However, some staff members will leave residents unbathed and in dirty clothes for days, fail to change soiled or dirty bed linens, or leave cuts or other injuries untreated. One of the most common injuries in nursing homes are pressure ulcers (also called bedsores), caused by restraints that are left on too long or failure to keep residents’ arms and legs moving. These sores can easily become infected, leading to infection, possible amputation, and even death.
We Can Help You Investigate Your Charleston Nursing Home Abuse Case
A disreputable nursing home facility will work quickly to hide any evidence of wrongdoing. In order to prove your case, you will need an attorney who can get to the true cause of your loved one’s injuries. The Law Office of Jared C. Williams can help you find who is to blame for your relative’s suffering, and will not hesitate to go to trial to hold the nursing home responsible for its wrongdoing. Contact our office in Charleston, South Carolina today for a free consultation on your case.