According to research, there are over 6,600 beds in Nevada for patients that require skilled nursing. There are also hundreds of intermediate nursing home beds for patients who need daily custodial care. With such a large number of Nevada residents in vulnerable living circumstances and unable to advocate for themselves, it is no surprise that nursing home abuse happens. If you or someone you know has a loved one in a nursing home, you must be able to recognize the signs of abuse. It is also critical for you to know your loved one’s legal rights and advocate on their behalf if they have been hurt.
Common Types of Abuse
When someone in a position of trust and/or power harms a nursing home resident, or places the resident at risk of harm, nursing home abuse has occured. An abuser could do so through negligence or carelessness of nursing home standards of care or they could act intentionally to cause harm. Irrespective of whether the harm occurred due to negligence or intentional conduct, a victim of nursing home abuse may have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit for monetary compensation. In the event that nursing home abuse has resulted in death, the surviving loved ones of the victim should reach out to a wrongful death attorney.
The most common types of nursing home abuse include:
- Neglect or carelessness;
- Physical abuse;
- Financial abuse;
- Psychological or emotional abuse; and
- Sexual abuse.
It is critical for both seniors and their loved ones to recognize all forms of abuse and seek immediate legal justice to make sure the abuse stops.
Signs of Abuse
The first step in recognizing nursing home abuse is awareness. In fact, many people have never heard of this type of abuse and instead assume — albeit naively — that this behavior would never happen in a professional nursing facility.
The National Council on Aging (“NCoA”) reports that neglect is the most common type of elder abuse. Neglect happens when there is a deliberate disregard for the well-being of an elder. Physical abuse is another form of abuse, which involves a person with power inflicting harm or pain on a nursing home resident. But abuse is not only physical. Residents can experience psychological or emotional abuse such as a person of power humiliating, insulting, threatening, or terrorizing a nursing home resident.
Signs of nursing home abuse may include residents:
- Appearing lost, scared, lonely, depressed, or confused;
- Appearing weak, dehydrated, or malnourished;
- Appearing dirty or smelling unpleasant;
- Having delayed medical attention or bed sores;
- Having bruises or burns without reasonable explanation;
- Having broken bones or fractures;
- Having infections, hair loss, wounds, or cuts;
- Avoiding eye contact, mood swings, self-isolating, or low self-esteem;
- Attempting to hurt others
Contact us Today
If your loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, contact the lawyers at H&P Law. Although the past cannot be undone, we will fight to bring justice to your loved one for harm suffered. Contact our Las Vegas or Henderson office today to schedule your initial case evaluation.
