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Emotionally upset or agitated, extremely withdrawn and non-communicative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