If your loved one is in the care of a nursing home facility, you might find yourself torn between feeling relieved and being concerned. After all, a nursing home can be the best place for someone who needs constant care and medical monitoring, but it can be a challenge to trust and rely on others to care for someone you love in a kind, respectable manner.
If you are in this position, the best thing you can do for your loved one is to continue to check in on them and make sure their needs are being met. One way to do this is to be aware of and keep an eye out for signs of neglect or abuse.
Some signs that your loved one is being mistreated in a nursing home facility include:
- Rapid mental or physical deterioration
- Being over-medicated, sedated or restrained without reason
- Bed sores or infections due to poor hygiene
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Unexplained cuts or bruises
- Missing personal items and/or money
- Being fearful to discuss staff members or certain topics around staff members
These and other signs can be an indication that your loved one is not being treated properly. Every patient should be able to receive competent medical care and appropriate attention; if this does not happen, the workers and the facility should be held accountable for any damages that a patient and his or her family suffer as a result.
Unfortunately, you may not know for sure if your loved one is being mistreated, especially because facilities often go to great lengths to try to hide or explain away any signs of abuse or neglect. For these reasons, it can be wise to consult an attorney familiar with nursing home neglect claims who can fight for the accountability and compensation victims and their loved ones need and deserve.