Recognizing Signs of Elder Abuse

21 Nov Recognizing Signs of Elder Abuse

Nursing home negligence affects some of the most vulnerable members of society. It's hard to ferret it out sometimes, because many of the victims have conditions which prevent them from being lucid and which prevent them from making complaints, if they even remember what happens to them on a day to day basis. Helping such individuals oftentimes starts with paying attention. When someone cannot take care of themselves, you'll have to become their eyes and ears and look for the signs of trouble.

Illnesses

There are plenty of illnesses that affect elderly people that will invariably get worse. Cancer, diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer's and more are generally degenerative and there's no way to avoid them becoming more dangerous and devastating with age. Most doctors, however, can give a family a good idea of what to expect in terms of their loved one's progression with the disease. If your loved one keeps having episodes where the symptoms of their diseases or disorders become very pronounced, they may not be getting the treatments they're supposed to be getting. This is when you need to have your loved one's doctor take a look for signs of neglect.

Some illnesses are very good indicators of negligence. If someone keeps getting infections or bedsores, for instance, it tends to indicate that there's a hygiene problem at the facility. Hygiene problems at healthcare facilities can be deadly, even for adults. For people who are already vulnerable because they have weakened immune systems or other health issues, a lack of hygiene can be a dire threat. Make sure you report any issues you see with your loved one not having a clean room or with them not being kept clean personally by the staff. These problems cannot be allowed to go on without putting people at serious risk.

If you need assistance with a case of nursing home mistreatment, you can contact state regulatory agencies and law enforcement to handle the issue. After it's all taken care of, you may want to consider contacting a lawyer for nursing home abuse. The costs of dealing with the fallout from an abusive or neglectful facility can be high and there isn't any reason that a family that's been victimized should have to pay those costs on their own. Contacting an attorney is a good way to make sure that you can pay for the costs of your loved one's treatments and their transfer to a different facility.