Seeing the Signs of Nursing Home Negligence

16 May Seeing the Signs of Nursing Home Negligence

Sometimes, there is no physical abuse to detect in cases where a nursing home is being negligent in the delivery of care to your loved one. This makes it even harder to detect. You may have to sit down and talk with your loved one and, even then, they may not really want to talk about it to you because of embarrassment. Here are some things that you'll want to watch out for.

Temperamental Staff

If you want to get an idea of how your loved one is treated when you're not around, take a look at how the staff treats the other residents at the nursing home. Watch out for staff members that are temperamental, mean or authoritarian. Some elderly people have very severe cognitive impairments and it can be frustrating for most people to deal with them. Nurses and other workers at nursing homes, however, are not most people; they're professional caregivers and should be acting like such.

Weight Loss

When people become depressed, they oftentimes lose their appetite. It's natural for elderly people to eat a lot less because they simply don't burn the calories they did when they were young. It is not natural, however, for them to suddenly begin dropping weight for no apparent reason and may be a sign that something is going on. Combined with a withdrawn demeanor and a lack of enthusiasm for anything, it may mean that there is something bad going on.

Changes in Personality

It's hard for people to hold something in without at last showing some changes in their personality. The stress of keeping secrets weighs on just about everyone and, when those people have no way to vent their frustrations, they oftentimes change significantly in terms of their personality. Watch out for sudden changes; they may be signs that something bad is going on.

Fear of a Staff Member

If your loved one seems oddly intimidated by a particular staff member, be sure that you keep an eye on them. If you really suspect that something is wrong, talk to the management at the nursing home.

If your loved one has been the victim of elderly neglect or nursing home negligence, be sure to speak to an attorney. There are specialist attorneys that deal with abuse in nursing home environments and that know how to establish that negligence was a factor if that is the case and if it caused your loved one harm.