Was Your Loved One Harmed by a Caregiver?
When an elderly relative is placed in a nursing home, you expect them to be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect. The nursing home has a duty to provide medical and personal services to the resident and keep them well-nourished, healthy, and safe from harm. Unfortunately, seniors have suffered mistreatment at nursing homes in Boulder. If you believe your relative has been the victim of nursing home abuse, call a Boulder injury lawyer at the Tenge Law Firm, LLC. We offer a free, confidential case evaluation.
What Are Types of Nursing Home Abuse?
A resident may be abused by a staff member or by another resident. Older adults are vulnerable both physically and emotionally, and may suffer from diminished mental capacity. The types of abuse that have been found to occur in nursing homes include:
- Physical abuse: A resident at a nursing home may be slapped, punched, pushed, kicked, pinched, or restrained in a manner that violates state law.
- Emotional abuse: This type of nursing home abuse may include yelling, harassment, intimidation, name-calling, insults, ridicule, being humiliated in front of others, or other actions that inflict emotional or psychological damage.
- Financial abuse: Financial abuse may involve the theft of valuables, gaining access to the resident’s bank account or other asset, a nursing home staff member convincing a resident to give them power of attorney, cashing checks, forging a signature, coercing a resident to change his or her will, and other actions that lead to financial gain.
- Sexual abuse: It is unthinkable, but sexual abuse does occur in nursing homes. Residents may be raped, forced to perform sex acts, or be forced to engage in unwanted acts that are sexual in nature.
- Neglect: When a nursing home fails to provide adequate care, it has breached its legal duty to the resident. A resident may not be getting the medical care he or she needs, may not be given enough nourishing food, may not be kept clean, or is living in an unsanitary, unsafe environment.
What Are Causes of Nursing Home Abuse?
Working in a nursing home is a challenging job. Some nursing homes fail to provide adequate training or lack sufficient staff to serve all residents. Undertrained, overworked staff make errors, become frustrated, and may inflict harm on a resident. Medications can be administered improperly, food and water withheld, a resident may be restrained beyond what is allowed under law, or left unclean or neglected. There are more seniors in America than at any time in history, and staffing nursing homes can be difficult, but that is no excuse.
What Are the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?
Not all signs of abuse are as evident as financial abuse. Some of the signs to watch for include:
- Your loved one is always sleeping when you visit and appears to be over-medicated.
- Your loved one flinches away from physical contact.
- You see visible bruises on wrists or ankles.
- Clothing is dirty.
- Hair and teeth are unbrushed.
- Your loved one appears disheveled, uncared for, and has an unpleasant odor.
- Glasses are broken.
- Your loved one has broken bones or suffered a strain or sprain.
- Your loved one is withdrawn and does not communicate.
- Nursing home staff will not leave you alone with your loved one.
- Your loved one has wandered away from the facility.
- The room is dirty, with soiled sheets or other unhealthy conditions.
- Your loved one has bedsores
- The skin looks dry and flaky
- Your loved one has lost weight and appears gaunt
The Boulder County Area Agency on Aging is involved in protecting the rights of the elderly. If you suspect your relative is the victim of abuse while under the care of a nursing home, this agency works with the Boulder County District Attorney’s Community Protection Division. Nursing home abuse should be reported to the authorities at once. If your loved one is a victim, get help from a nursing home abuse lawyer to manage your case and file a legal action against the negligent parties.
Nursing Home Abuse Case in Boulder? Call the Tenge Law Firm, LLC, today
At the Tenge Law Firm, LLC, our legal team is dedicated to protecting the rights of the elderly. If your loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, we urge you to contact us at once. We have a reputation for excellence and provide a full range of services.
We are often called upon to represent other attorneys, and we offer a free consultation to assist you. We are experienced trial lawyers who can take action against a negligent nursing home to seek justice for you and your loved one. Call (303) 665-2929 today. Our legal services are offered on a contingency fee basis – no fees unless we win. Call now.