How to Identify Cases of Nursing Home Abuse

One of the most difficult things a child or family member must do when parents or relatives have need more care than can easily be provided, is find a place and people who will treat loved ones with the kindness, care, supervision and respect they deserve. Nursing homes are often a viable option as they tend to have well-trained staff, their services are closely regulated and they have high-quality facilities. Not all nursing homes or care providers can be relied on to deliver the level of care we want our loved ones to have. To prevent nursing home abuse or neglect it is extremely important that you know how to spot the signs.

Some of the most common signs of nursing home abuse or neglect are: a sudden change in your loved ones’ demeanor, a uncharacteristic depression or fear, a significant weight loss or evidence of malnutrition, medication mistakes (over medicating, wrong type of medication, or wrong dosage), inexplicable falls or continuous injuries, bedsores, a failure of staff to diagnose and request treatment for an existing illness or newly presented medical ailment, and more. An improper staff to resident ratio, or a lack of skilled and efficient staff, can also lead to intentional or unintentional neglect and abuse. Financial abuse can appear in the form of items going missing from your loved ones’ room, money being transferred unexpectedly, and purchases being made for items your loved ones couldn’t possibly need or use.

At the Todd J. Leonard Law Firm, the firm’s lead personal injury lawyer, Todd Leonard, has years of experience fighting to protect people who have become victims of abuse or neglect from a nursing home or assisted living facility. We understand how painful instances of nursing home abuse can be, not only for your loved ones, but for you as well. In cases like these we treat you and your loved ones as family, and we stand ready to provide you with the legal representation needed to see justice served. You can rest assured that we will work vigorously to help you recover the compensation your loved one needs, and that reflects the degree of any injury, illness, condition or loss of life. We also handle all of our cases on a contingency fee basis, so there are no upfront fees to retain our legal counsel. If you believe your loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, we urge you contact us and speak to our New Jersey personal injury lawyer at once. As the elderly are often frail, it is an urgent matter to resolve.