Our growing elderly population depends more and more on institutional care for various reasons. Nursing liability is set by both federal and state regulations and nursing homes must adhere to these legal standards that regulate the quality of care. Unfortunately many times standards are breached and suffering or even death results.
The Keenan Law Firm has prosecuted in a number of nursing home liability cases, dealing primarily with patient neglect caused by under-staffing, inattention, or inadequate staff training. One nursing liability client eventually testified before the U.S. Congress to help shape important nursing home regulations.
Slides out of actual PowerPoint presentation from nursing home case. Click to zoom.
Signs of Neglect or Abuse in a Nursing Home
Pinning down signs and symptoms of nursing home abuse is not always easy. Identifying that it is happening while it is happening can be very hard to do unless you are on the lookout for signs and symptoms. Being as observant as possible is going to be a benefit for you and your loved one.
Something that you should take note of every time you visit your loved one in a nursing home is the condition of their living space, particularly their bedsheets. Are there bedsheets soiled? Has anyone been by to clean up? You also want to take note of any physical harm to your loved one. Check to see if they have cuts or bruises. They might even have an injury that shows signs of neglect like a broken arm from falling.
If there’s any nervousness that didn’t used to exist with your loved one, that could be indicative of abuse. If all of a sudden someone who was verbal becomes non-verbal or nervous to talk, it could be a sign of psychological trauma.