Medicare’s website has 18 nursing homes in Columbia rated from one to five stars regarding their staffing ratios, health inspections, and quality of resident care. While Medicare’s ratings are a good indication of whether your loved one will receive the care and support they need in a long-term care facility, abuse and neglect can happen anywhere, sadly. There are many causes of nursing home abuse and neglect, but they are all inexcusable. Nursing homes, and the staff members who work within them, can be held liable when abuse and neglect occur. Our Columbia nursing home abuse attorney can help you do it.
What is Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse occurs when a staff member, medical worker, or administrator of a facility willfully inflicts injury, intimidation, unreasonable confinement, or punishment that results in physical harm or mental distress. When many people first think of nursing home abuse, they often think of bodily harm such as pulling, pushing, hitting, or pinching. While this is one type of abuse, there are others, as well.
Of all the different types of nursing home abuse, emotional abuse is the most common. Emotional abuse occurs when a worker in a nursing home belittles a resident, isolates them from social activities, prevents them from seeing friends and family, or otherwise intentionally harms the emotional well-being of a resident. Sexual abuse, abandonment, and financial exploitation are other types of nursing home abuse. Financial exploitation occurs when a staff member in a nursing home manipulates a resident into signing certain legal documents, such as a power of attorney or a will, or when staff members directly steal a resident’s possessions.
Neglect differs slightly from abuse. Neglect is not intentional but still results in residents not obtaining the proper care and support they need. Choking, malnutrition, and wandering are a few types of neglect. Even though neglect is not intentional, nursing homes must be held liable for it, as it can result in very serious harm.
Why Does Nursing Home Abuse Happen?
Sadly, there are many reasons nursing home abuse happens. Nursing homes exist to provide individuals in one of society’s most vulnerable sectors, the elderly, with the care and support they need. Still, nursing homes are businesses and they often want to reduce their overall costs and increase their profits. One of the ways they do this is by not staffing a sufficient number of workers to care for the residents in the facility.
When nursing homes are understaffed, there are simply not enough people to look after all of the residents at the facility. Only residents with the most urgent needs may be tended to, while others still suffer harm but do not receive care. Understaffing also places an additional burden on the available staff members. They often feel overworked, overwhelmed, and stressed from having to do the job of more than one person. This can also contribute to nursing home abuse.
Sometimes, staff members in nursing homes are simply not committed to their jobs. They are sometimes unable to cope with the stress of their job and feel overworked. They cannot handle the stress of the environment. These nursing home employees may overmedicate residents in their care not for medical reasons, but to make the resident easier to manage. These workers may also leave residents immobile or isolated for long periods of time, or neglect to ensure their daily needs are met, such as proper hygiene, health care, and nutrition. When these workers become frustrated, they may also use restraints, physically assault residents, or withhold water as a form of punishment.
Again, while there are many reasons why nursing home abuse and neglect happen, there is no excuse for it. Nursing home staff members and administrators must be held liable for any wrongdoing that causes residents harm. This is the only way to ensure it will not happen again, and that injured nursing home residents receive the compensation they are entitled to for someone else’s wrongdoing.
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
It is critical that loved ones know how to spot the signs of nursing home abuse, so they can stop it from happening and ensure their family member receives the proper care they need. The most common signs of nursing home abuse are as follows:
- Unexplained injuries: Physical injuries are one of the most common signs of nursing home abuse. If your loved one suddenly has cuts, excessive bruising, bed sores, or other physical injuries, speak to a staff member or administrator of the nursing home. If the injuries cannot be explained, or the explanation seems suspicious, speak to an attorney about possible nursing home abuse
- Sudden mood or behavioral changes: Unexplained physical injuries are a common sign of nursing home abuse, but emotional injuries are more common. The best way to identify if your loved one has been harmed emotionally is to look for changes in their mood or behavior. If they are suddenly withdrawn, no longer interested in activities they once loved, or seem embarrassed or depressed, it could be a sign of nursing home abuse
- Dehydration or malnutrition: One of the biggest signs that your loved one is not being cared for properly is malnutrition or dehydration. Signs of these include sudden weight loss, swollen tongue, dry mouth, and cracked lips or skin
- Changes in finances or estate plans: Financial exploitation is becoming more common in nursing homes. If you notice sudden withdrawals from your loved one’s bank account or unusual changes in their estate plan, these could be signs of financial abuse
Our Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in Columbia Can Help Your Family
Nursing home abuse is never acceptable. If your loved one has been harmed by the very people entrusted to provide the care and support they need, you do have legal options. At McCravy, Newlon, Sturkie, & Clardy, our Columbia nursing home abuse attorneys can explain what those are and help your loved one obtain the compensation they need for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. Call us now at 866-MCCRAVY to schedule a free legal consultation and to learn more about how we can help.