Seniors may need professional care around the clock and sometimes the best environment for them to be in is a nursing home. While this decision is emotional, you and your family want your loved one to get the best care possible. If your loved one is in a nursing home and they begin to suffer from injuries, sickness, or don’t seem to get the care they deserve, then they may be in an abusive or neglectful environment. To help protect your loved one’s rights, a Frankfort nursing home abuse lawyer from Golden Law Office is here for you.
Nursing Home Abuse Vs. Neglect
While neither abuse nor neglect should occur in a nursing home, it’s important to understand the difference between the two. Nursing home abuse usually refers to staff who are intentionally harming your loved one, while nursing home neglect occurs when the home isn’t equipped to give your loved one the care they deserve.
Nursing home abuse can include physical abuse like shoving, pushing, or hitting, emotional abuse, like belittling, using foul language, or purposefully isolating your loved one in the home. Additional forms of abuse include sexual abuse and financial abuse.
A neglectful nursing home may not have the staff to provide residents with around the clock care. Unfortunately, many residents may need a high level of care to maintain a high quality of life. If the staff cannot care for residents, then the residents may not get their medication on time, regular meals and drinks, and their personal hygiene and their surroundings may not be clean or sanitary.
All these forms of neglect can put your loved one’s life at risk. Missing their medication means they’re not treating the ailment they have. Lack of nutrition and hydration can drastically affect anyone’s health, but seniors especially need to stay as healthy as possible. This is how they can maintain strength, keep a healthy immune system, and have a good sense of wellbeing.
Cleanliness goes beyond having the right to maintain their dignity. Keeping up with bathing, hair and teeth care, having clean clothes, bedsheets, and rooms help seniors feel good and helps mitigate the amount of germs in the environment.
No one deserves to be treated like this. Seniors are a vulnerable group because they may not be at their healthiest and can have trouble communicating what’s happening. Those with memory issues may not be lucid at the time of abuse or may not be able to verbalize it. Sometimes, residents may be ashamed of the abuse or frightened of retaliation.
If your loved one isn’t communicating these things to you, there are ways you can stay alert to any possible wrongdoing. That’s why it’s so important for you to be there for them. You also need to know that we are here for you.
A Frankfort nursing home abuse lawyer from our firm can help your loved one. We’ll carefully investigate what happened. We’ll find out if abuse or neglect occurred. Then we can start fighting for justice.
Recognizing the Signs of Elder Abuse and Neglect
If you’re concerned about the treatment your loved one is receiving in their Frankfort nursing home, you can keep watch for possible signs of abuse and neglect. Abuse can present in the following ways:
- Bruises
- Broken Bones
- Cuts
- STD’s
- Changes in finances
- Changed demeanor
- Agitation, fearfulness
If neglect is occurring, then keep an eye out for these signs:
- Weight loss
- Fatigue or weakness from dehydration
- Soiled clothing
- Foul odor (either from the resident or their room)
- Dirty clothes or bedsheets
- They’re withdrawn
If you’re visiting your loved one and the staff prevents you from seeing them or doesn’t allow you to be alone with your loved one, these are major red flags that can indicate something is wrong. Residents are allowed to have visitors whenever they want.
You should also be concerned if an injury occurs and you weren’t notified. If you visit your loved one and discover they have a broken arm, you should raise questions with the home immediately. You should have been informed about what happened. If you cannot get straight answers as to how your loved one was hurt, this can also be a sign that something is amiss.
According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky is a mandatory reporting state. This means that if you believe elder abuse is occurring, the law states that you need to report it. While reporting the incident will launch an investigation, if you believe your loved one is in immediate danger, you should call the authorities so your loved one can get to a safe place.
After your loved one is safe and you’ve reported the abuse, you can seek representation so your loved one’s rights will be protected. Golden Law Office is here for you.
How Can a Frankfort Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Help You?
Our nursing home abuse attorney will investigate your loved one’s case. We’ll look into what happened, how it happened, and who was responsible for the injuries and damages. Whether it was an abusive staff member or an understaffed nursing home, we’ll make sure the right party is held accountable and we will seek justice for your loved one.
As your representation, our lawyers will explain the legal process to you and we can handle communication between the parties involved. We’ll also make sure your claim is filed on time so you don’t miss the window where you’re eligible to receive compensation.
When we’re on your side, you can have peace of mind that we’ll make sure your loved one’s voice is heard. Abusive or neglectful nursing homes cannot continue to treat their residents like this. When you speak up for your loved one, you may also send a message to the nursing home that they need to take measures to prevent this. Your claim may help other families not have to go through what your loved one experienced.
Call Golden Law Office Today
We can start the legal journey to getting your loved one the justice they deserve. For a free case evaluation, get in touch with our office today. Our personal injury lawyers are ready to help you in Frankfort.
The attorneys at Golden Law Office are experienced, compassionate people who know how devastating nursing home abuse can be. While we cannot undo what happened, we can secure your loved one’s future.
Golden Law is a local, Kentucky Law Firm, attorneys/lawyers in Fayette County, Kentucky, working in the fields of personal injury, auto accidents, car and truck wrecks; medical malpractice: doctors, hospitals & nursing homes; senior living abuse: neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, dehydration, bedsores, catastrophic injuries, and broken bones. If you are considering a lawsuit, call us at 859.469.5000 for a free consultation. We are located at 771 Corporate Dr. Suite 800/ Lexington, Kentucky 40503. We handle cases all over the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We have represented and trained people in major insurance companies & major trucking companies. We have first hand experience and know the ‘inside of the insurance business’ … that’s a distinction that no other law firm can make. We’re Your Advocate. Dale Golden, Laraclay Parker.
