Columbus Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

Nursing Home Abuse Is Especially Repugnant And Dangerous

Because our aging loved ones are some of the most vulnerable among us, nursing home abuse is a painful issue to address. This important area of the law relates to the purposeful abuse of nursing home residents, and it can take many repugnant forms.

We look to nursing homes to provide our aging loved ones with the care and assistance they need to continue living full, rewarding lives. The decision that it’s time to seek nursing home care is rarely an easy one, and when such a decision leaves your loved one injured as a result of nursing home abuse, it’s a tragic outcome. If your loved one’s been injured by nursing home abuse, don’t put off consulting with a dedicated Columbus nursing home abuse attorney today. 

NURSING HOME ABUSE

Nursing home abuse involves intending to cause harm (or not bothering to stop it). This distinguishes abuse from nursing home neglect, which can be just as damaging but isn’t intentionally so. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) classifies nursing home abuse into several different categories, including:

• Physical Abuse – When we think of abuse, many of us think about physical abuse, which is only one of many kinds of dangerous abuse. Physical abuse in this context refers to a nursing home staff member or administrator who purposefully inflicts physical pain and injury upon a nursing home resident. Some of the warning signs can include unexplained cuts, bruises, burns, abrasions, pressure marks, and much more. 

• Emotional Abuse – Emotional abuse can be just as scarring as physical abuse and can come in wide-ranging forms, such as verbal assaults, verbal threats, harassment, intimidation, silent treatment, and more. Emotional abuse doesn’t leave physical scars, but it can lead to an unexplained withdrawal from one’s routine and/or from activities one once enjoyed, an unexplained shift in mood, a decrease in the level of alertness, signs of depression and/or anxiety, and more.  

• Sexual Abuse – Sexual abuse encompasses any sexual touching, fondling, intercourse, or activity that is perpetrated upon a resident who doesn’t consent, is unable to consent, is physically forced, or is physically threatened. 

• Deprivation – When a resident is willfully deprived of something that is necessary to live a healthy life, it’s known as willful deprivation, and it can include withholding adequate nutrition and/or hydration, necessary medications, necessary assistance with physical activities (including those related to personal hygiene), and more.

• Confinement – Confinement refers to isolating and/or restraining a nursing home resident for any reason other than a legitimate medical purpose.
• Financial Exploitation – When a nursing home interferes with a resident’s finances by misusing or withholding funds or by defrauding him or her out of resources, it’s known as financial exploitation. 

Nursing home abuse is especially repugnant and dangerous – and should never be tolerated. If your loved one is exhibiting signs that could be indicative of abuse, it’s time to take action. 

NURSING HOME NEGLECT

While nursing home neglect lacks the element of intent necessary for nursing home abuse, it can be just as damaging because it’s often more difficult to detect. Nursing home negligence refers to the failure to provide services, assistance, and care that the nursing home is paid to provide in the first place and can include:

• Failure to provide adequate nutrition and/or hydration
• Failure to provide the correct medications in the correct dosages at the correct times
• Failure to provide necessary assistance with personal hygiene
• Failure to maintain a safe and sanitary living environment

Such negligence can be slow to make itself known, but if you notice that your loved one isn’t as well kept as he or she normally is, exhibits an unexplained weight loss, has bedsores, seems off, or complains of neglect, address the matter immediately. 

CONSULT WITH A DEDICATED COLUMBUS NURSING HOME ABUSE ATTORNEY TODAY

If your loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, attorney Geoff Jones at The Jones Firm in Columbus, Ohio, understands your heartache and is committed to aggressively pursuing a just claim resolution. While obtaining the compensation to which your loved one is entitled can’t negate the fact of the abuse, it can help him or her begin to heal. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or call us at 614-209-5162 today.