Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in New Jersey
Protecting Your Elderly Loved Ones from Negligent and Abusive Behaviors
It is estimated that more than a million elders will face some sort of abuse each year, and at least 10% of those cases will occur in an assisted living facility. When nursing homes take advantage of those under their care and fail to fulfill their duties as caretakers, it is often up to family members of the elder to take action. However, you do not have to do so on your own. At Burnham Douglass Attorneys at Law, our New Jersey nursing home abuse lawyers proudly take up the mantle as defenders of the elderly and representatives of families in dire situations.
How to Spot the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Elders placed in assisted living facilities can face a variety of perils if the staff is negligent or intentionally harmful. In many cases, elders are too intimidated to speak up, or do not believe that their cries for help will be taken seriously.
It is critical that family members know how to recognize and identify the different forms of nursing home abuse, so they can keep an eye out for the warning signs and take appropriate action if their suspicions arise to fear.
Some of the most common types of nursing home and elder abuse are:
- Financial: Elders are easily (and often) exploited by orderlies and scammers who want to make an extra dollar. Financial abuse can take the form of stealing money out of purses and wallets, convincing an elder to write a check in their name, tricking the elder into a scam, and more. Family members should monitor an elder’s financial accounts to watch for odd expenditures.
- Neglect: Absentminded, lazy, overworked, or neglectful orderlies and caretakers can cause an elder to suffer from serious health problems, including malnutrition, dehydration, bedsores, and improper medication dosages. If your elderly loved one has begun to show a deterioration in health and/or the facility they are currently at is not up to your standards, start investigating for signs of neglect.
- Sexual: An elder who has experienced sexual abuse in a nursing home is unlikely to speak up about it, as they may be both frightened and ashamed. Uncharacteristic mood swings, depression, and intentionally avoiding a particular orderly can all be telltale signs that sexual abuse or something similar has occurred.
What You Can Do About Nursing Home Abuse
You will need to choose how to react when you suspect nursing home abuse, depending on the severity of the harm. In incidents where the issue may be minor, you may simply want to talk to your elder to see if you can get to the truth and see if they would like you to talk to nursing home management.
If there is clear and apparent danger present, you should take steps to remove your elder from the nursing home as soon as possible, notify the police, and, once you have a chance, call an attorney.
At Burnham Douglass Attorneys at Law, our New Jersey nursing home abuse lawyers firmly believe in the importance of protecting elders in every way possible, and that includes their legal representation. We also know that justice is best paired with fair and maximized compensation to help bring you and your elder peace of mind, and that’s exactly what will aim to obtain on your behalf. We will listen to your concerns and suspicions, conduct our own investigations, take immediate legal action to remove your loved one from the facility, and protect against these egregious acts from happening again in the future.
Call 856-751-5505 or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation.
