When your loved one is a patient in a nursing home, close monitoring of their well-being is essential. You need to keep the facility accountable for the treatment and care it provides.
Know the warning signs of nursing home abuse in Torrington. Although nobody likes to think that their loved one will be mistreated, neglect and abuse are common. Understanding what to look for and what to do when you detect signs of poor care protects your loved one and others in the facility.
The lawyers at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC can help. We have years of experience investigating and combatting nursing home neglect and have achieved excellent results. Let us help you protect your loved one.
Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are often short-staffed. The work is often stressful, physically demanding, and doesn’t pay well.
Staff might cut corners when there aren’t enough workers to care for medically fragile patients. A nursing home trying to fill its employee roster might hire someone without doing an adequate background check. All these factors can lead to overworked, impatient, or dangerous people caring for your loved one, and this can lead to abuse.
Connecticut General Statutes § 19a-550 sets forth patients’ rights in long-term care facilities. The law describes many specific rights assigned to the patient, but underlying all of them is the right to be treated with dignity and respect and to receive necessary care without being subjected to abuse of any kind.
Abuse in Torrington nursing homes can be physical, sexual, emotional, or financial. It is important to be aware of the signs of abuse, because patients may not communicate what they are going through.
When lucid and aware, patients may be too embarrassed or ashamed to reveal what is happening. Other patients have mental or physical health conditions that prevent them from alerting loved ones to the abuse.
Physical abuse is not uncommon in nursing homes. Staff might get impatient with a resident and slap or hit them or pull their hair. Using restraints unnecessarily is a form of physical abuse. Failing to protect residents from other patients who are violent is another form of physical abuse.
The signs to look for include bruises, contusions, broken bones, and other physical injuries. In many cases, the facility and even the patient might attribute the injury to a fall or clumsiness. When you notice injuries that could have been inflicted through violence, demand an explanation, and if it doesn’t ring true, contact our attorneys for advice.
Staff and other residents at nursing homes sometimes intentionally bully, humiliate, or frighten a patient. This kind of cruelty is demeaning and unfair, and it can be hard to detect.
When a nursing home patient is being emotionally abused, they may not say anything but they often show signs. You might notice changes in their personality, like becoming withdrawn or uncommunicative. They might develop depression or anxiety, or these conditions might worsen. Unexplained weight loss, inattention to personal hygiene, and uncharacteristic fearfulness can be signs of emotional abuse.
Nursing home patients sometimes suffer unwanted sexual attention from staff or other residents. This could take the form of remarks or teasing of a sexual nature, involuntary exposure to pornographic or explicit material, or physical assaults. Molestation and rape happen regularly in nursing homes.
When a patient reports that someone is making suggestive or inappropriate comments that make them uncomfortable, take it seriously and report it to the facility Administrator.
If you notice bruises or lacerations on their private parts, ask for an explanation. A new diagnosis of a sexually transmitted disease is evidence that sexual abuse may be taking place. When you believe a loved one has been sexually assaulted you should contact law enforcement to investigate.
Nursing home patients are vulnerable to people who ingratiate themselves in hopes of financial gain. Sometimes, staff members or other residents convince patients to give them money or other valuables.
If the patient is still managing their money, financial exploitation can be difficult to detect. It is best if someone besides the patient shares responsibility for managing their finances. When potential exploitation is detected the facility Administrator should be informed immediately.
It is heartbreaking to know or even suspect that someone in a care facility is harming your loved one. If you see some of the warning signs of nursing home abuse in Torrington, take immediate steps to protect the patient and hold the facility accountable.
Call the legal professionals at D’Amico & Pettinicchi, LLC, for help. We have been providing effective advocacy for patients and their families for decades for serious personal injury and wrongful death and have a track record of success. Schedule a free remote or in-person consultation with no obligation. Get in touch today.
