Your loved one deserves to have the best care possible at their nursing home. If a nursing home doesn’t have qualified staff or protocols in place to keep residents safe, then your loved one’s health can suffer. There’s never an excuse or abuse or neglect in a nursing home. While this situation can be devastating, you can take steps to get justice for your loved one. An El Paso, TX nursing home abuse lawyer from Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm can fight for your loved one and hold the negligent home accountable.
Going through the legal process can be intimidating, but you can rely on your attorney to act in your loved one’s best interests. Our lawyers know the rights that your loved one has as a senior and as a resident in a nursing home. If their rights are violated, we’ll find out which ones and take proper action to get justice. We’ll be at your side every step of the way and help you secure your loved one’s future.
What Are the Types of Nursing Home Abuse?
According to the Texas Attorney General, nursing home abuse includes intimidation, humiliation, harassment, threatening, slapping, kicking, and verbal abuse. This is done whether or not the person can hear or understand what they’re doing. Abuse can take many forms. The main types of abuse include:
- Physical. Using physical force as punishment or moving people too roughly are forms of physical abuse.
- Emotional. Staff members who speak to your loved one with foul language, undermine them, or acts like they aren’t there, are emotionally abusing them. They can also cause psychological damage through isolating your loved one and not letting them see anyone or participate in activities in the home.
- Financial. Exploitation through stealing cash, heirlooms, and forging checks are all possible versions of financial abuse. Some may try to take advantage of those with memory loss or reduced cognitive function and your loved one may not realize what’s happening.
- Sexual. Sexual abuse can also occur in nursing homes. This is when anything of a sexual nature occurs that doesn’t have the express consent of the parties involved.
Nursing home neglect can also occur where the home isn’t equipped to provide your loved one with the care they need and deserve. The Texas Attorney General states that neglect occurs when the caregiver fails to provide goods or services that the senior needs to avoid physical and emotional pain. This could be from not having enough staff to attend to everyone, or staff that doesn’t have the training to attend to your loved one’s needs.
How Can You Recognize Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?
Are you worried about your loved one’s treatment in their home? Nursing home abuse and neglect might not always be something that your loved one tells you about, whether it’s from physical limitations or if they’re too scared to voice what’s happening. You can keep an eye out for the following indicators of nursing home abuse: Â
- Injuries. Bruises, broken bones, head injuries are all signs that your loved one could be subject to abuse. Consistent injuries or serious injuries should be concerning, especially if you weren’t informed.
- Malnutrition/Dehydration. If you notice your loved one is weak or is dehydrated, then they likely aren’t getting regular meals and liquids each day.
- Weight Loss. You may notice change in weight. This could be because they’re not getting enough food or that there’s a new medical condition that those in charge of your loved one’s care haven’t diagnosed or treated.
- Dirty Clothes and Sheets. Your loved one should have fresh clothes daily and clean bedsheets. If your family member isn’t living in sanitary conditions, the home may not have regular cleaning schedules or staff isn’t attending to your loved one each day.
- Constant Illness. If your loved one consistently has a cold, gets the flu, or other kinds of illness, the home may not be as clean as it should be or have protocols to mitigate the spread of germs.
- Mood Changes. Your loved one’s demeanor may be completely different than their usual self. Mood swings or seeming more fearful or agitated could indicate that something is wrong.
When you know that your loved one is in an environment that’s dangerous to their health and wellbeing, it’s essential to take steps to fix it. If you raise concerns with the nursing home and they do not make changes for your elderly family member, then it’s time to reach out to an El Paso, TX nursing home abuse attorney.
An El Paso, TX Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Will Fight for Your Loved One
Holding a negligent nursing home accountable can be an intimidating process if they’re trying to avoid responsibility for the pain they’ve caused your loved one. That’s where our lawyers will help. When we’re on your side, we’ll fully investigate the care your family member received. We’ll find out:
- Who your loved one interacted with on a daily basis.
- Who was in charge of their care.
- When they were injured and neglected, and how.
- If the nursing home made attempts to fix the problem.
- What your loved one lost in injuries and damages.
You can depend on your nursing home abuse lawyer to calculate the full costs of their losses. Medical bills, property damage, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life are several examples of possible damages they can recover. We’ll fight for full and fair compensation for your loved one so they can get the recovery they deserve.
Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm Is Here for Your Family
Abusive and negligent nursing homes need to be held accountable for their actions. We’re ready to fight for the vulnerable members of our society and take steps to make sure the nursing home doesn’t continue putting others at risk.
An El Paso, TX nursing home abuse lawyer from our law firm will advocate for your loved one and help you through the legal process so your loved one’s rights and future are protected. To go over your legal options, reach out to our law firm today for an obligation-free consultation.
