Abuse and Neglect in a Nursing Home
It is important that elderly people in nursing homes have their rights to be cared for properly be upheld. If a nursing home resident is being abused and neglected at a nursing home, then that individual is going to be susceptible to being injured, hurt or exploited by the staff in that nursing home. The caregivers who care for elderly people in a nursing home need to be specially trained to care for the needs of the nursing home residents. If the nursing home residents are not cared for properly and continually suffer personal injuries at the nursing home, then it might be time to discuss litigation against the nursing home based on the merits of a claim for personal damages in this type of case.
Stealing of Resident Property in a Nursing Home
The stealing, misappropriation, exploitation or “borrowing” of a nursing home resident’s belongings and personal property is a type of negligence at the nursing home. The nursing home resident has a right to have his or her belongings there and in a safe and secured place, as long as the resident is living at the nursing home. This can be a difficult situation, for example, if a nursing home resident has special compression socks to prevent issues with blood flow to the legs, and the socks are stolen, this can be a serious medical emergency for the nursing home resident. For this reason, it is important that the nursing home resident’s belongings are cherished, protected and safe at the nursing home.
Involuntary Seclusion for a Nursing Home Resident
If a nursing home resident is placed into a room or confined to a room against the nursing home resident’s will, this can be a case of involuntary seclusion. People in nursing homes enjoy the comradery of being near to and around other elderly residents, to have social times and to not feel isolated and alone. If the staff confines a nursing home resident to his or her room against the person’s will, it can be a traumatizing situation and can constitute a type of emotional and mental abuse.
Using Physical Restraints on an Elderly Nursing Home Resident
A nursing home resident should not be physically restrained for the purpose of being disciplined by the nursing home staff. Similarly, the nursing home resident should be free to move around, and not held captive at the convenience of the nursing home staff. If the use of a physical restraint is necessary, it needs to be offered by the least restrictive alternative means, for the least amount of time. The incident needs to be documented and re-evaluated, to determine if there is a current or future need for restraints of this type for this resident in the future.
Unnecessary Medication Used on Nursing Home Residents
Nursing home residents are often placed on medication, but it needs to be prescribed for a specific purpose related to that person’s care. A nursing home resident should not be given an excessive dose of any medication (such as a sedative), or have psychotropic drugs misused at the nursing home on the resident.
If you have experienced nursing home negligent care and neglect, get in touch with Walch Law today to learn more about how we can help. 1-8444-999-5342 We are able to talk to you about your case, and can explain the next steps to receiving a full recovery compensation package for your case.