Signs Of Abuse
The decision to entrust a residential facility with the care of an elderly family member is never made lightly. Yet, it is almost a daily event to see or hear a story about elderly patients being abused in a nursing home or residential care facility.
If you suspect that a loved one is the victim of elder abuse or neglect, it is important to take immediate steps to protect their well-being. At Greene & Schultz, we can help you take this step — and more. In addition to safeguarding the health of your loved one, we can help them recover financial compensation for their injuries and losses and take steps to prevent the wrongdoers from ever harming another elder citizen again.
What Are The Different Types Of Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse can be subtle and hard to detect — this is true for all forms of elder abuse, including mental, physical, and financial abuse. Experts in the field of eldercare and elder abuse agree that the best way to prevent elder abuse is to understand and recognize the signs of elder abuse.
What Are The Signs Of Physical Abuse?
Some of the common warning signs of elder physical abuse include:
- Infected bedsores or pressure ulcers
- Unexplained injuries such as broken bones, sprains, bruises, burns, cuts, or abrasions
- Unexpected falls
- Medication errors including incorrect dosing and overdoses
- Untimely or unexplained death
What Are The Signs Of Psychological Abuse?
Not all elder abuse is physical — some is psychological and the signs include:
- Fear, agitation or withdrawal
- Frequent sobbing
- Complaints of poor treatment
What Are The Signs Of Elder Neglect?
Sometimes, patients in a residential care facility are not recipients of needed attention, and they suffer from elder neglect. Signs of neglect include:
- Dehydration
- Malnutrition
- Unsanitary or unclean living conditions
What Are The Signs Of Financial Abuse?
Swindling money from the elderly is more common than family members realize. Perpetrators appear to be involved in the care of your loved one, but, they pretend to care so they can get close and steal checks or credit cards. More elaborate schemes may involve outright fraud. Often, the seniors are duped out of tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars and are left with only, if lucky, a pension.
Common signs of financial abuse include:
- Abrupt changes in the elder’s will or related financial documents
- Frequent checks written to a financial professional or caregiver
- Sudden changes in banking or funds, such as unexpected withdrawals
- Unexplained transfers of money or assets to another individual
- Additional names on the elder’s bank signature card
- A reluctance to talk about financial issues
- Forged signatures
- Personal belongings missing from your loved one’s possession
- Living conditions that are below his or her resources
Legal Help Can Put An End To Nursing Home Abuse
If you believe your loved one is being mistreated in an Indiana or Illinois residential care facility, you should call an experienced elder abuse attorney. At Greene & Schultz, our elder law lawyers will fight for the rights of your loved one.
Call now for a free consultation at 812-558-0198 or use our online contact form.