What You Need to Know About Nursing Home Abuse

As some of the city's most valuable people, it is unfortunate that senior citizens are also some of society's most vulnerable. This vulnerability is becoming ever more present, particularly in facilities such as nursing homes where many of our elderly reside. Nursing home abuse and neglect come in many forms so it is important to understand the different types in order to protect our loved ones and help prevent the abuse from continuing. The best way to do this may be by entreating the help of a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer such as the Pacific Attorney Group.

Abuse and neglect of the elderly in local nursing homes is a form of injury, and it includes personal offenses such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial fraud and exploitation. While physical abuse may be the most observable form of abuse as it is evident in bruises and injuries, there are other versions that may be harder to identify. The inappropriate use or distribution of drugs or the use of unnecessary restraints are also physical abuses that require attention. Furthermore, if injuries or ailments are not properly attended to (neglect), some elderly could die.

Other nursing home abuses may be less obvious, yet equally as damaging. Verbal attacks such as shouting threatening, ridiculing and blaming can be emotionally scarring. Even ignoring an elderly person or leaving them in isolation is a passive version of neglect. The anxiety and distress brought on by such torture are enough to constitute the emotional treatment as abuse. In addition, sexual abuse is not absent among the senior citizen population in nursing homes. Some caregivers have been found engaging in non-consensual sexual contact or interaction with their elderly patients. Others have been caught forcing a patient to view pornographic material.

As if it couldn't get any worse, the elderly are most commonly abused financially. Caregivers, close friends and family often have access to personal financial information of their elderly such as credit cards or bank accounts. This leaves senior citizens susceptible to suffering from stealing or identity theft. Furthermore, the elderly can also fall victim to healthcare fraud, meaning they are charged for services that have not been delivered. Scam artists also often target senior citizens as easy prey. Checks that are thought to be going towards a charity may actually end up directly in the hands of a scam artist.

If you know someone in a nursing home, don't let something like this happen to them. Contact a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer at our firm to help you protect the rights of your loved one. Let's help make sure that those we value are treated appropriately.