Recognizing and Preventing Nursing Home Neglect

When our elderly friends and loved ones lose the ability to take care of themselves, we often do not have time to provide the loving care and attention that they need. Thus, many people turn to nursing homes and assisted living facilities as an alternative to home care. These facilities can be beneficial in providing a community for the elderly, but they can also become dangerous places if the staff neglects the residents.

While nursing home abuse is characterized by the staff going out of their way to physically, emotionally, and even financially torture the residents, neglect consists of the opposite. Residents who are neglected are ignored, and their needs go unrecognized and untreated. Sadly, the reason why most elderly are in assisted living in the first place is because they are unable to provide these needs for themselves. Thus, neglect can turn into life-threatening torment because residents may not be able to provide food and water for themselves.

Additionally, elderly neglect can also be financial abandonment. Older people at nursing homes are typically unable to work for themselves, which means that they may not have a steady source of income to pay for living in the facility. If a person agrees to pay for the assisted living, then refuses to do so, this can count as elderly neglect.

When an elderly person is neglected, he or she is restricted from access to life necessities. This can include food, water, shelter, safety, medical care, and clothing. Also, elderly often rely on other people to help them maintain their personal hygiene. Older people with mobility issues may not be able to get themselves out of bed, which keeps them from getting to the toilet. If nursing home attendants refuse to help the residents in and out of bed to go to the bathroom, they may be left laying in their own excrement. As gross as this sounds, it is also a safety issue since feces can carry diseases.

Other signs of nursing home neglect include:

Malnutrition

Dehydration

Bed sores

Unsafe living conditions

Presence of dirt, fleas, lice, etc.

Infections

Untreated illness

To help keep your loved ones safe, you should check out several different nursing homes before you settle on an assisted living center. Try to take tours of all of the facilities, and interview mentally capable residents about their experience there. Also, be sure to visit your elderly person regularly to check and see if they are being treated properly.

Sadly, nursing home abuse is all too real. If you or someone you love has been mistreated by nursing home attendants, you should speak with a personal injury lawyer today about your rights. For more information, contact an experienced personal injury attorney at the firm of Habush Habush & Rottier, S.C., today.