Lowell, AR Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Nursing homes house our parents, grandparents, and other loved ones.  We trust these facilities to take care of them, but many families face the startling discovery that their loved ones are actually being physically, mentally, or even sexually abused in a nursing home.

If you believe your loved one is being abused in a nursing home, our lawyers can help you investigate, get doctors to examine your loved one, and file a lawsuit against the responsible workers and nursing home.  These cases can often be difficult because the nursing home controls all of the records, and their staff might be unwilling to cooperate.  As such, it often is not until the court gets involved that you can get the evidence of abuse that you need to win your case.

For help, call our nursing home abuse lawyers today at (479) 316-0438.

Identifying and Acting on Nursing Home Abuse in Lowell, AR

Nursing home abuse can happen in many different ways, with some abuse being physical – whether violent or sexual – and some abuse being mental or emotional.  Nursing home residents might even be victims of financial abuse by trusted nursing home staff.  The following are all signs and symptoms to watch for of various kinds of abuse and neglect in nursing homes:

Bruises

Older adults might fall down or bump into things, and many are on blood thinners and other medications that make their bruises more prominent.  As such, bruising is not always a sign of abuse, but if the nursing home does not report bruising to you or your loved one seems reluctant to admit how the bruises happened, it could be a sign of deeper issues.  Moreover, if you ask about the bruising and your loved one reports they are being abused, you should act immediately.

Taking photos of bruising and other injuries is always a good way to save evidence for our nursing home abuse lawyers to review.

Unexplained Injuries

If you notice more serious or obvious injuries like broken bones, but there is no good explanation given for the injury, that is a big red flag.  Nursing homes should document every injury that happens, and if they do not have a good understanding of how an injury happened or the nursing home resident is afraid to talk about it, that is a potential sign of abuse.  However, some injuries happen to older adults without their knowledge or for reasons they forget, so always investigate first before making accusations.

Malnourishment or Weight Loss

As people age, they might begin to eat less or lose their appetite.  Even so, signs of significant loss of appetite or unintentional weight loss could be signs of abuse or neglect.  If your loved one is being denied food, that could constitute abuse or neglect directly.  Malnourishment is also often a sign of depression or anxiety, which could be symptoms of abuse.

Reviewing your loved one’s records with them – if available to you – or taking periodic photos of them can help you track changes like these.

Changes in Mood or Personality

Again, this factor could be confused for many mental health issues that affect older adults, like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  However, gradual changes in general mood or outlook as well as sudden swings in emotions could be signs of something deeper like abuse or trauma.  If a loud and cheerful loved one is suddenly quiet or withdrawn, that could be a sign of something wrong.

Consider taking note of odd/unexplained things that your loved one says or tracking how many “down” or “blue” days they have.  This can help you keep a timeline of changes and, even if it is not related to abuse, help their doctors potentially diagnose conditions they might have, like depression or Alzheimer’s.

Denied Access

If a nursing home is suddenly denying your ability to visit a loved one without a reasonable explanation, then something might be happening that they are trying to hide.  If they give poor explanations about why you cannot visit, it is possible those explanations are lies to keep you away from your loved one.  Even if your loved one is the one saying not to visit, it might not be because they want to shut you out but rather because they do not want you to see their injuries or because they are being groomed by their abuser to isolate themselves.

Denied access to patient records is common, but family members in charge of the patient’s care should be entitled to receive reports about what is happening with their loved one.  If this information is suddenly cut off, something might be happening that the nursing home does not want you to know about.

If your loved one is the one denying access, you might have no choice but to respect their wishes.  However, if you suspect it is tied to an abusive or controlling situation, certainly speak with a lawyer about your concerns.

Financial Changes

If you are involved in your parent or grandparent’s finances and you begin to notice new payments or missing income, it is possible that someone at the nursing home is stealing from them or taking advantage of them.  Many scams on older adults involve someone close to them – such as a trusted caregiver – siphoning off funds, stealing checks, or lying to get money.  This could constitute financial abuse, which may come with other abuse as well.

Claims of Not Feeling Safe

If your loved one reports abuse to you or otherwise complains that they do not feel safe in their current situation, you might want to consider moving them.  Once you find evidence of abuse to confirm your suspicions, moving your loved one to a different nursing home or housing situation might be necessary to keep them safe from ongoing abuse.

Call Our Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Today

If you suspect your loved one is being abused, call our nursing home abuse lawyers today at (479) 316-0438.