There are numerous families out there who rely on nursing homes to care for their elderly loved ones. And while they would ever expect abuse to occur, it is something that happens far more often than most people think.

Nursing home abuse can cause significant injuries to the elderly, and family members must know how to recognize the signs and report the incident to the proper authorities. However, many situations go unreported. The elderly are left vulnerable to the actions of the party responsible for causing significant harm.

For those with family members in a nursing home, you should understand just how important it is to report nursing home abuse.

Fear of Staff Members and Intimidation

One of the reasons many nursing home residents fail to report abuse is because the person responsible for the harm often tries to intimidate the elderly, causing fear. The elderly may feel as though if they report the incident, nothing will be done to remove the responsible party, and the attacks may continue.

The action above is often a tactic of an abuser—filling the vulnerable party’s head with the idea that nobody will believe them.

Nobody Checking on the Elderly

Many times, when abuse occurs in a nursing home, it’s when the person responsible for the abuse identifies a vulnerable victim. Typically, a vulnerable person is someone whose family doesn’t come around often, or he or she doesn’t have many visitors, and there is nobody to report the incident.

The elderly is the only one left to report the incident, and with the tactics of fear and intimidation, the person responsible may go unpunished when the victim does not report the incident.

Obtaining Justice for Your Loved One

Reporting nursing home abuse can help your elderly loved one get closure, pursue compensation, protect their rights, and obtain justice. Reporting the situation as quickly as possible once you recognize the signs of nursing home abuse can help begin the investigation into the facility.

Whenever your elderly loved one suffers harm in a nursing home, it’s easy for them to feel like there’s nothing to stop it. You must recognize what signs could indicate your loved one is suffering abuse so you can report it on their behalf. The parties who may be responsible for nursing home abuse include:

• Staff members: This is often the result of a nursing home having a low staff-to-resident ratio. Staff members may neglect a resident, claiming they don’t have enough time to look after all residents in the facility. Bad staffing is no excuse for neglect or abuse.
• Visiting doctors: When your elderly loved one is bedridden, he or she may still receive in-facility visits from his or her primary doctor. You should know if the doctor has any history of malpractice or abuse. It is essential to monitor these interactions.
• Other residents: Some nursing home residents may have certain mental disorders that can put all others at risk of harm. However, in these situations, the facility can also be held accountable for failing to provide the necessary safety measures to prevent attacks between residents.

No matter who caused the harm, it’s essential to report the parties to receive a proper investigation of the facility.

At Williams Newman Williams, we take all reports of nursing home abuse seriously. We know the various entities responsible for investigating these claims and what should be sought out for evidence. We also recognize the parties who we may be able to take action against, including the attacker and the nursing home facility.

With our Jackson nursing home abuse attorneys on your side, you can feel confident in your position to pursue justice. Your family is our top priority from start to finish. We’ll do whatever we can to help you reach the most positive outcome possible and hold the responsible party financially accountable.

Call our firm at (601) 949-5080 today to schedule a free consultation and discuss your potential case with a skilled and tenacious advocate.

If you have a loved one in a nursing home facility, it’s imperative that you check in on them regularly for their health, as well as to show them the attention they deserve. You also want to ensure you’re looking out for signs that may indicate if they are enduring emotional abuse.

Knowing the signs can help you identify any problems, and take action to protect your loved one and others from experiencing this type of action. Here are the signs you should look out for and how to report it after the fact.

Changes In Behavior

If your elderly loved one is normally happy, cheery, and overall in a positive mood, but you’ve noticed that there is something changing, it could be a serious red flag. They may begin acting sad, out of touch, and even distant during conversations.

They may act differently when they’re alone with you versus when their abuser is nearby. If you recognize these signs and your loved one is not as happy as they once were, it could mean they’rsquo;re experiencing emotional abuse at the hands of someone in the facility.

Sudden Loss of Appetite

You may notice that your loved one is not eating as they should or that they appear malnourished. If this is the case, it may be due to emotional abuse they’re experiencing. Be sure to ask them why they’re not eating and speak with others to see how long your loved one has been like that.

Fear or Panic

Much of the emotional abuse the elderly endures comes in the form of threats. As such, the resident grows to fear the abuser and any situation where he or she feels at risk of further abuse. If you see your loved one react to movements or certain phrases, it could indicate potential emotional abuse.

At Williams Newman Williams, our Jackson nursing home abuse attorneys help you take action when you identify potential emotional abuse. We want to protect your rights, as well as the best interests of your elderly loved one, to pursue compensation and justice against the responsible party.

Call our firm today at (601) 949-5080 to discuss your potential case.

For any family, making the decision to have a loved one move into a nursing home is a difficult one. We want to be able to care for our elderly family member, but there are situations when it is seemingly impossible to do with everything else going on. So, we put our trust in a facility to care for them.

However, there are numerous instances (past and present) that should be cause for concern when it comes to the health and safety of our loved one. It’s unfortunate, but nursing home abuse does happen and when it does, the family of the harmed individual can take action.

Here are some of the things that you should know about nursing home abuse, including the types that exist, how to spot signs, and what you can do.

Physical Abuse

The first idea many people have of physical abuse is direct contact between a staff member, other resident, or someone else and the elderly. Physical abuse, though, can be considered anything that causes physical harm, such as neglect resulting in a slip and fall.

Physical abuse is often recognizable by the visual effects associated with the action. For instance, if hitting occurs, bruising may be present on the patient. Similarly, if a resident is neglected and slips and falls, you may notice bruises, potential fractures, or worse, a brain injury.

Emotional Abuse

Not all types of abuse will have a physical impact on your loved one. This is especially true with emotional abuse in which someone on the staff, another resident, doctor, or other party insult, threaten, or talk down to your loved one in a manner that causes behavior changes and potential depression.

If your loved one seems distant during your visits—almost as though they are avoiding any kind of contact with a specific person in the facility—you may want to dive deeper into those feelings. This behavior may be an effect of someone emotionally abusing your loved one and he or she is doing whatever they can to avoid confrontation.

Financial Abuse

This type of nursing home abuse is not talked about nearly as often, but it can have a serious impact on the elderly who is victimized. Financial abuse can come in several forms from direct theft of funds to forging signatures to benefit the abuser. For instance, financial abuse can occur when a staff member convinces the elderly to allow him or her access to bank accounts to pay his or her expenses, yet the staff member uses the money for their own benefit.

Make sure you’re well aware of your elderly loved ones financial situation and you’re checking accounts often. If you notice any strange spending habits or if there is a new authorized user on the account, this is a red flag and you should be sure to mention it as soon as possible to determine if something is wrong.

Your elderly loved one may not report the abuse out of fear of retaliation. In fact, many times nursing home abuse does go unreported and it can leave the victim in a physical, emotional, and financial hardship. It’s important to recognize the signs so you can protect your loved one.

At Williams Newman Williams, our Jackson nursing home abuse lawyers have the skill, knowledge, and experience you need to move forward successfully. Let us help you and your family recognize your rights and go through the entire process with peace of mind.

Call our firm today at (601) 949-5080 and speak with an attorney about your potential case. We’re here for you every step of the way.

Nursing home residents may be subject to mental, physical or sexual abuse by staff members who are supposed to take care of them. In addition, healthcare fraud is a sign of abuse that many don’t think about. This may occur when a facility charges the government for services that weren’t rendered or for services that it doesn’t cover. Private insurance companies may also be billed incorrectly for services a resident may receive.

In some cases, procedures may be performed even when they aren’t medically necessary. This can have a negative consequence for the health and safety of a patient. Residents may also be pressured to sell personal information or have their information stolen. Inaccurate medical records may be used to justify charging an insurance company for medication or for a procedure. However, having the wrong information about a patient may increase the chances of a misdiagnosis or other future medical errors.

Abuse is more likely to occur when a facility doesn’t have enough staff to properly oversee patient care. Families are encouraged to take appropriate steps to keep tabs on their loved ones. This is especially important when a resident has limited cognitive function. Nursing facility staff are encouraged to speak up if they see a patient being abused or suspect that abuse is taking place.

If nursing home negligence results in a resident’s injury or death, the facility where the incident occurred may be liable for damages. The resident’s family may be entitled to compensation for medical bills as well as a reduced quality of life. An attorney may obtain evidence of abuse such as inconsistent medical billing practices or changes in a resident’s mental or physical condition. Expert witnesses may be asked to verify that negligence caused harm to a resident.

At the annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council in Atlanta, there was one seminar that focused on an important topic of today: truckers manipulating and disabling the safety systems on their vehicles. Truckers in Mississippi are undoubtedly familiar with these systems, which include collision mitigation systems, in-cab cameras and traffic sign recognition.

Many truckers are trying to outsmart their employers in various ways, and they are getting help from YouTube videos. They learn to do things like cutting the wires that go to a camera, disconnecting the camera or sliding a business card behind it. They have also learned to disconnect the steering-angle sensor and disable the lane departure switch by pushing the button in and sticking a piece of paper inside.

Other drivers have disabled the radar on their trucks by removing the cover and lining it with aluminum foil. They may also unplug the speakers, plugging them in again before they reach the shop. The regional director for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, who spoke at the seminar, said that installing safety tech is insufficient.

Truck fleet owners must properly introduce the technology to truckers and explain their limitations. Driver assist systems, for example, are not meant to replace drivers. Additionally, technicians, who understand the tech better than anyone, must serve as the interface between driver and employer.

If employers do not interact in this way with truckers, they will only continue to act against technological advances. This, in turn, will do nothing to reduce the number of truck accidents that occur. Victims will have the option of filing a claim against the trucking company. In this state, victims can recover damages as long as their degree of fault is less than the other person’s. Victims may want to get started by having a lawyer assess their case.