Occurrences out of our control might lead to a loved one having to be placed into a nursing home facility. The elder person might require extensive medical care that cannot be handled by their family members. Some elderly individuals will be required 24/7 supervision, which is something that a family member might not be able to do, especially with the demands of having to work. Making the final years the best, providing exceptional care, and giving a home is what nursing homes were made for. Sadly, many elderly individuals are not being treated as such and are being subjected to a life of abuse within the nursing home setting.
Many individuals may be blind to the fact, but statistics have shown that elderly individuals who are abused or neglected have a higher chance of dying sooner than intended. This is a growing concern for many, especially those who have loved ones in these Old Folk Homes. Studies and researchers have found a variety of reasons why these elderly individuals are being abused and neglected. This a concern that the Pembroke Pines lawyers for nursing home abuse understand and have fought to repair.
Forms of Abuse in Old Folks’ Homes
Abuse and neglect can be present in many forms. Some ways that abuse can be seen in an elder person includes:
- Physical Abuse: This is the form of abuse that will most likely be able to spot the easiest. Typically, when there is a person who is being physically abused, there will be physical signs that will determine that. Some of those signs can include lacerations, scratches, cuts, bruises, fractures, reoccurring falls, and more.
- Emotional Abuse: This type of abuse might be more difficult to investigate because there may be no immediate signs, but emotional abuse is sometimes more painful than physical abuse. Someone who is emotionally abused may have a change in their character, might isolate themselves, may avoid talking to staff members, and may display paranoia. If there is any change in the behavior of a resident, it should be a reason to further investigate.
- Financial Abuse: When a resident’s assets and funds are changing without an explanation, or there seem to be personal items disappearing, the resident could be being abused financially. Issues with their funds like forged checks, or mysterious transactions from their bank account is a raise for concern. Many residents hand over the responsibility of their funds to the nursing home or their family members. If a nursing home facility steals their assets for their own gain, they could face a lawsuit.
- Social Abuse: Social abuse most often happens when the resident is restricted of their freedom and not allowed to interact with other residents and even their own family members.
Indicators Suggesting Abuse in Pembroke Pines Nursing Home
It might be difficult for a loved one or another nursing home worker to detect that abuse is taking place. Despite the intricacies, there will always be some sort of sign. Some of those signs include:
- The presence of a bedsore can suggest that the nursing home staff is physically neglecting the resident
- Recurring falls can indicate that the patient is not being monitored closely
- Constant infections can suggest that the medical staff is not properly sanitizing their hands or complying with the cleaning techniques
- The appearance of bruises, scratches, marks, or other physical irregularities
- Dirty bed sheets, dirty undergarments, or unclean living space
Learning of these signs and meticulously analyzing a nursing home resident could possibly even save their life. It is important to find the links between the signs of neglect and abuse to prevent harm from occurring to the resident.
Why Are the Elderly Being Abused/Neglected?
The Pembroke Pines Firm for nursing home abuse is often dumbfounded at the reasons why someone decides to abuse or neglect another individual, especially an individual that may be unable to care for themselves. There have been many elements associated with why nursing home abuse occurs, some of which include:
- Insufficient nursing home employees for a number of residents
- Stressed out health care providers
- Not assessing the high-risk residents
- Providing the resident with a medication that makes them uneasy and causing them to fall
- Lack of supervision
- Not following safety measures
- Not following cleaning techniques
- Not conducting appropriate background checks on employees
The causes as to why a resident becomes a victim of neglect or abuse vary from case to case. A fact is that those who cause harm must pay for their actions, especially harm that is inflicted upon a helpless human being. With a Pembroke Pines lawyer, a litigation could be attained.
Abuse in Nursing Home Facilities Info
Information on neglect and abuse within nursing home facilities will be listed below:
- Abuse is seen in 10% of elder individuals
- Two million elder individuals are faced with abuse on an annual basis
- Reports of abuse are often not conveyed
- Those over the age of 65 are expected to double in numbers
- The census of those over 65 was 40 million in 2010
- Out of every 10 nursing home residents, 9 of them have experienced some type of neglect
- 4 Residents will encounter abuse out of a population of 10 residents
Finding The Right Nursing Home Could Prevent Elder Abuse
Attempting to find the right nursing home is one of the many responsibilities of a loved one, in addition to being able to discover symptoms and signs of neglect or abuse. Finding the correct one will serve the purpose to limit possible encounters with neglect and abuse. These are some actions that a loved one could take in order to aid the process of selecting the perfect facility:
- Noting the prestigious nursing home facilities that are closest
- Having the involvement of friends and family to speak about the best choices
- Determine whether the chosen facilities are certified and licensed
- Creating a set of questions that will further help understand the function of the nursing home facility
- Assessing the overall quality of the nursing home by visiting it
- Determining how the resident feels in that specific location
Electing an Old Folks’ Home mandates the consideration of numerous factors. It is not as simple as googling the name of a facility and placing the resident there.
Nursing Home Facilities in the Pembroke Pines Area
These are some nursing home and assisted living facilities currently located in the Pembroke Pines area:
- Memorial Manor
- Assisted living of Pembroke Pines
- Angel House Assisted Living
- Continual Care Facility
- Betsy’s Loving Home Inc
It is important to note that doing extensive research, visiting the facility, and speaking with the nursing home staff can serve the purpose to uncover which facility is the best fit for their loved one. No one wants their loved one to be cared for with a blind eye. A resident should be given the proper care they deserve and treated with love and respect by the health care providers. In other words, these professionals must care for them as they would for their own loved ones.
There To Fight and Protect Your Rights
The elder generation has grown in numbers and is expected to double in the years to come. The baby boomers are growing in age and more and more individuals will be placed into these facilities. It is essential that loved ones are vigilant of the many forms of abuse and neglect that their loved ones can go through. The worst feeling is knowing that something could have been done to prevent the elder individual from being neglected or abused. The attorneys at the firm of Percy Martinez in Pembroke Pines are using their expertise to prepare, investigate, and analyzes all documents and evidence. In addition, if needed, they hire expert witnesses to reinforce the case. They strive to bring liability towards the individual or facility that exercised neglect or abuse with the resident.
Would a parent leave their child with just any babysitter? Very unlikely. The same needs to be done when searching for an Old Folks’ Home. Not having to worry about a loved one and knowing that they are being cared for is the greatest comfort. Come consult with our professional team of lawyers for elder neglect and abuse in the Pembroke Pines Law Firm.
Pembroke Pines
Email: percy@percymartinezlaw.com