LONG TERM CARE

Justice for You

When an elderly person can no longer take care of himself or herself due to medical reasons, a long term care facility can provide necessary medical attention and supervision. Long term care facilities provide a place where the elderly person can live while always having medical personnel nearby. Unfortunately, over recent years, elder abuse has increased. If you believe your loved one has been abused or neglected due to a long term care facility or staff, you need an experienced attorney on your side.

Types of Elder Abuse:

Elder abuse can range from taking advantage of an older person to physically abusing or neglecting her. Some types of elder abuse include:

Physical abuse - such as hitting, pushing, sexually abusing

Mental abuse - such as creating mental anguish, intimidating, threatening

Financial scams - such as using the resources of an elderly person without her consent and for an individual's own benefit

Neglect - such as failing to take physical care of the elderly person, often resulting in physical problems, lack of care for existing medical problems, prolonged or continual deprivation of food or water.

Long term care facility abuse and neglect can come in many different forms and can sometimes go unnoticed by family members or other long term care staff. Family and friends must make their own observations to determine if their loved ones are being neglected or abused.

Common Signs of Neglect:

Bed injuries/asphyxiation

Pressure ulcers (bed sores)

Dehydration

Emotionally upset or agitated, extremely withdrawn and non-communicative

Any incident involving broken bones, especially a fractured hip

Head injuries

Infections

Instances of wandering/elopement

Malnutrition

Rapid weight loss or weight gain; signs of malnutrition

Reluctance to speak in staff members’ presence

Unexplained or unexpected death of the resident

Unexplained injuries such as wounds, cuts, bruises or welts in various stages of healing

Unsanitary and unclean conditions

Unusual or sudden changes in behavior (fear of being touched, sucking, biting, rocking)

Wanting to be isolated from others

Injuries requiring emergency treatment or hospitalization

Any injury or death occurring during or shortly after an episode of wandering (including outside the facility)

Heavy medication or sedation

One resident injures another resident

Resident is frequently ill, and the illnesses are not promptly reported to the physician and family