With the growth of America’s elderly population, the demand for elderly care facilities is increasing as well. Family members send their loved ones to nursing homes and expect the facility to abide by laws set forth and treat their loved ones with the care and respect they deserve.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case. It is estimated that 1-2 million U.S. citizens, ages 65 or older, have been mistreated, exploited or injured by a caregiver.
If your loved one is in a nursing home, the nursing home abuse attorneys at Daggett Shuler advise looking out for these common signs of nursing home abuse which may include:
- Untreated bedsores
- Open wounds, cuts, bruises, or welts
- Torn clothing or broken personal items
- Bruises in a pattern that would suggest restraints
- Excessive and sudden weight loss
- Fleas, lice, or dirt on the resident or in the resident’s room
- Abnormally pale complexion
- Fecal/urine odors
- Poor personal hygiene or other unattended health problems
Additionally, we recommend that you evaluate the staff working at the nursing home facility. A careless staff often suggests a situation prone to nursing home abuse and neglect. Common signs of nursing home abuse caused by careless staff include:
- Lack of proper heating or cooling in the nursing home
- Caregiver’s inability to explain the resident’s condition
- Caregiver’s refusal to allow visitors to see resident alone
- Caregiver allowing the resident to wander off the premises
- Sudden change in the resident’s medication
At Daggett Shuler Law, our focus is helping you, listening to you, and letting you know everything you can do to help your loved one. Our North Carolina nursing home abuse lawyers are committed to helping you and using our legal expertise to eliminate nursing home abuse and neglect in North Carolina. The more clients we help, the closer our community comes to having nursing homes that are free from abuse and neglect.