Nursing Home Abuse
We entrust the care of our most vulnerable loved ones to nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, home health care aides, and long-term care facilities. Our elderly and disabled family members require expert care and attention. When we admit them to a nursing home, we expect that they will get the care they deserve. Unfortunately, many nursing homes around the State of Florida are leaving patients with overworked, untrained, incompetent and even abusive staff. If you have any reason to suspect that your elderly or disabled loved one has been the victim of abuse or negligence in a nursing home, call Mark H. Wright today.
Types of Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities owe a duty to residents and to their families to keep them safe and healthy to the best of the home’s ability. Any failure in this duty may lead to liability if their failure causes harm to the residents. Nursing homes are required to employ trained, competent staff who have the best interests of residents at heart. If a home fails to train staff, fails to supervise them, or hires too few nurses and other staff members for too many patients, then staff members are liable to make mistakes with dangerous and deadly consequences for residents.
Nursing homes can be liable for negligence when the following occurs:
- Resident dehydration and malnutrition
- Medical errors
- Nursing and prescription errors
- Negligent security
- Failing to protect residents from falls or other injuries
- Providing residents with faulty or frail medical devices and equipment
- Failing to provide clean towels, sheets, clothes, or other laundry
- Failing to keep the premises and resident rooms clean and free of mold, bugs, bacteria, and other dangers
- Failing to inspect the premises for hazards
- Failing to ensure residents follow proper hygiene
- Failing to check up on all residents regularly
Any of these forms of negligence can lead to a resident suffering severe harm. Residents can suffer broken bones or internal organ damage in a fall, get sick from a weakened immune system resulting from inadequate nutrition and hydration, or suffer the adverse effects of isolation and neglect. Speak with dedicated nursing home negligence attorney Mark H. Wright if you suspect a nursing home is not giving your loved one the care and attention they need.
Nursing Home Abuse
In addition to nursing home negligence, nursing homes can also be liable when members of their staff engage in deliberate abuse. Elder abuse is, unfortunately, all-too-common. Some forms of nursing home abuse prevalent in Florida include the following:
- Physical abuse, including hitting, kicking, dragging, or improperly restraining residents
- Emotional and psychological abuse, such as yelling, belittling, humiliating, demeaning, isolating, or ignoring residents
- Deliberately depriving residents of food or water as a form of punishment
- Sexual abuse of residents by staff or third parties
- Financial exploitation of residents, such as tricking them into signing legal documents against their will
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are responsible for ensuring that their employees are not abusing residents or allowing them to be abused by other parties. If you see signs of abuse, call a dedicated and capable nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible.
Signs of Abuse and Neglect
Some forms of abuse are easier to identify, while other types of abuse and negligence are more difficult to detect. If you notice any of the signs or symptoms of nursing home abuse or neglect, you must act fast to protect your loved ones. Signs of abuse or neglect might include the following:
- Unexplained injuries such as broken bones, bruises, scrapes, or redness
- Ashy or dry skin
- Distended bellies
- Cracked lips
- Sudden weight gain or loss
- Sudden changes to cognitive abilities
- Changes in demeanor and behavior
- Frequent illnesses
- Illnesses and injuries that are not reported to family members
- Mood swings
- Fear or unwillingness to speak about the conditions
- Bedsores
- Poor hygiene
- Unsanitary conditions in resident rooms or common areas
Help from a Passionate Attorney
If your loved one shows signs of abuse or neglect while residing in a Florida nursing home, you need to act quickly to ensure they are safe. Reach out to a Florida nursing home negligence and abuse attorney at Mark H. Wright, PLLC, to discuss your concerns. Our legal team is prepared to help you investigate the nursing home or long-term care facility and ensure that your elderly or disabled family member is not being mistreated. If your loved one has suffered from neglect or abuse in a nursing home in Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Plant City, or anywhere in the Tampa Bay area, call us today for a free consultation.
