Life in a nursing home is supposed to be carefree and comfortable. When your elders end up needing care around the clock, it can be a good idea to put them in a nursing home. You have to understand that you cannot provide round-the-clock care to your elders.
Imagine going to work, and your parents or grandparents suffer from a fall, and they are far away from a phone. There will be no one to help them until you return from work. To ensure that your elders do not suffer from such circumstances, you have to get them into a facility that provides care 24 hours a day.
However, there can be instances where your elders might be mistreated in a nursing home. In such circumstances, you will need to take action to hold the people responsible accountable.
- Potential Signs of Abuse
In order for you to identify if your elders are suffering from abuse in their nursing home, you will need to identify the potential signs. It might be that your elders do not complain to you about it; they might find the whole situation embarrassing, but you have to be vigilant.
If you see any of the potential signs of abuse, you should ask questions. For example, if your elders are developing bed sores or they happen to suffer from injuries and there is no plausible explanation for it, you need to seek answers.
There are other things that you have to look out for; if you notice that the room your loved one lives in has not been cleaned in a while or there is stained or dirty bedding, it might be time to ask questions. If your elders seem reluctant to continue their stay in a facility, it might also be a sign.
- Identify the Type of Abuse
If you are suspicious about the living conditions of your loved ones and you think that they might be suffering from some form of abuse, you need to ask questions. You can inquire about their living conditions to ascertain what might be happening to them.
There can be a number of possibilities; for example, you might notice that your loved one is missing some jewelry that was close to their heart, or you might find that they have no money to spend. This might be indicative of financial abuse. Similarly, if you notice scars or injuries, it might be a case of physical abuse.
Your elders might also suffer from emotional abuse at a facility, which can be hard to detect. There is also a possibility of neglect and sexual abuse, which cannot be ruled out.
- Contact an Attorney
Once you are positive that your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse, your priority should be to contact an attorney. You can search online for firms that deal with nursing home abuse cases in order to find a trusted team of nursing home abuse lawyers.
With the help and guidance of nursing home abuse lawyers, you will be able to navigate the complexities of the aftermath of a nursing home abuse case. You will be able to ask questions and understand the process.
Your objective should be to understand your rights and find out what steps you can take to hold the responsible parties accountable for the abusive behavior.
- File a Formal Complaint
When it comes to your options to take action against the responsible parties, you can file a formal complaint. There are regulatory authorities that oversee nursing homes and their conduct. In case of abuse, you can file a formal complaint with them.
To start with, you can call the Department of Public Health’s Nursing Home Hotline to report your case. Similarly, you can file a complaint with your state’s Family and Support Service. You can also file a formal report online at the Department of Public Health website.
- Gather Needed Evidence
In order to take action against the nursing home, you will need evidence. This evidence will be crucial to support your claims in case you file a complaint or a lawsuit. This evidence can come from medical reports, or it could be through witness statements.
You can also document the conditions that your elders are living in through your phone. If you are having difficulty gathering evidence, your lawyers can find it for you. Your lawyers can subpoena records and security camera footage to get to the bottom of the situation.
- Seek Clarification of Facts
Another thing that you have to do is to get your facts straight. Before you take any action against a nursing home, your priority should be to have all the facts. In order to seek clarification, you can ask your loved ones about the conditions in which they are living.
In addition, you can inquire about the living conditions of a nursing home from other residents. You can also search online for any negative reviews that have been posted recently. You can try to contact the people who have had negative experiences with that particular nursing home to get clarification.
- Do Not Blame Yourself
A common problem that most people face after their loved ones or elders have been victims of abuse is that they blame themselves for the abuse. It might be that your subconscious blames you for putting your elders in a nursing home, or it could be that you blame yourself for not doing your due diligence.
Either way, doing this can take the focus away from the real culprits. If you start to blame yourself, you will not be able to hold the responsible parties accountable, and this will lead to more abuse towards other residents of that particular nursing home.
- Seek Justice for the Abuse
In case your loved ones have been unfortunate enough to be the victims of abuse, it is your responsibility to seek justice for them. If your elders have suffered abuse in a nursing home, you have to make sure that you hold the responsible parties accountable.
To do this, you can file a lawsuit for compensation. By filing a lawsuit, you will be able to bring the facts to light. This will enable you to make sure that this sort of thing does not happen again. By seeking compensation, you will be able to make sure that the liable parties pay for what they have done.