Making the decision to put a loved one in a nursing home is not one made lightly, even if the facility seems perfect. Knowing that you want the best for your loved one, our Bel Air, MD nursing home abuse lawyer hopes to give you the legal advice and clarity on your particular situation.
Our attorneys at Ketterer, Browne & Associates, LLC have represented cases in nursing homes ranging from falls and wrongful death to bedsores and pressure wounds. Since nursing homes are for-profit businesses, it can lead to facilities putting profit above care—and unfortunately, many caregivers are overworked and underpaid, which can result in frustration and stress that they may take out on residents.
Why You Should Trust A Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
It can be overwhelming navigating a suspected nursing home neglect or abuse case on your own. By working with our Bel Air nursing home abuse lawyer, you will likely feel at ease knowing someone with experience in the field has your back and is committed to recovering appropriate compensation for your loved one’s mistreatment. Residents have the right to receive adequate care from the nursing home and its staff—that is what they are paying for.
What Are The Types Of Nursing Home Abuse?
Oftentimes, our loved ones need to be put in a nursing home because their mental and physical capacity is diminishing. This is sad to observe on its own, but it also makes them more susceptible to types of abuse that may not be as obvious as physical abuse. Below, we outline several kinds of abuse that may occur within a nursing home:
- Financial Abuse. This is any time someone takes advantage of resources that an older adult has without their consent. Concrete examples of this are forging a resident’s signature, depositing a resident’s checks without authorization, and failing to give residents their money when they need it. Most commonly, it can appear as threatening a resident for an unpaid bill.
- Elder Neglect. When nursing facilities are understaffed, this can contribute to caregivers not having the resources or time to keep up with the residents’ day-to-day nutrition and hygiene. This can also show up as leaving residents unattended for extended periods of time, making mistakes regarding medication, and overlooking call lights.
- Emotional & Psychological Abuse. Elderly patients are already a vulnerable group. Sometimes caretakers use this against residents by calling them insulting names, humiliating them in front of others, yelling at the resident, or terrorizing them in other ways. Forms of psychological abuse may include purposefully isolating a resident from social interactions or failing to acknowledge the resident by giving them the silent treatment.
Sitting with the types of harm that may be inflicted on your loved one is painful—no one should have to go through any of this. With years of experience, our Bel Air nursing home abuse lawyer wants to help tend to the difficulties your family member may be facing and turn the pain and confusion into forceful legal action.
Please call our team at Ketterer, Browne & Associates, LLC to set up a free case evaluation today.