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Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse cases involve some of our oldest and most vulnerable citizens. Sadly, many elderly people become victims because they are less likely to complain of issues with their care than younger patients. As a result, cases of neglect and abuse often go unreported until a crisis occurs — such as a death or a trip to the emergency room.
At Healy Scanlon Veugeler Gannon in Chicago, our lawyers represent victims of nursing home neglect and abuse. We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your case. The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act may provide triple damages for the damages caused by the issues with your loved one’s care.
The following pages provide more information about nursing home neglect and abuse:
Nursing home abuse:
When you visit a loved one in the nursing home, you may see signs that your loved one is suffering from abuse. This page describes those signs.
Elder abuse can occur in or out of a nursing home. Signs that a caregiver may be abusing your loved ones include missing cash, a change in a will or power of attorney, or unexplained injuries.
Bedsores are an injury that can only occur when a patient is neglected. They occur when an immobile patient is not re-positioned periodically. In the most severe of cases, sepsis can result when not treated.
The elderly may not feel the same sense of hunger or thirst as younger people. Nursing homes have a responsibility to ensure residents are properly nourished and hydrated.
Whether it is the wrong dosage or wrong medication altogether, errors in administering prescribed medication, especially to the elderly, can result in serious injury and even death.
Inadequate supervision by caregivers can result in the wandering and escaping of patients. This is most troubling and potentially serious when the elderly individual has dementia or Alzheimer’s.
If you are suspicious of the sudden death of your elderly loved one, you probably have valid reasons for feeling that way. By talking to one of our skilled attorneys, we can go over your case and discuss with you any possible legal action.
In Illinois, we have laws aimed at protecting the elderly from mistreatment, abuse and neglect in a nursing home facility.
Abuse and harm to elders often stems from severe under-staffing or poor training of staff in nursing homes.
Steps To Take If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse
When you make the tough decision to place a loved one in the care of a nursing home, you expect that facility to provide a standard of care. But, sometimes you may sense or see signs of mistreatment, abuse, and negligence that make you wary.
Nursing home abuse in Chicago and elsewhere may take several forms, including:
Verbal abuse
intimidation, humiliation, ridicule, blaming, scapegoating
Mental abuse
ignore, isolation, nonverbal threats
Physical abuse
hitting, shoving, improper or wrong medication, improper use of restraints
Sexual abuse
physical contact without your loved one’s consent, showing pornographic material, forcing your loved one to observe sexual acts, forced undress
Any signs of nursing home injuries in Chicago should be taken seriously. Watch for signs from your loved one of elder abuse and neglect, such as:
- Tension between him or her and the caregiver
- Changes in behavior
- Signs of physical injury, including bruises, scars, broken bones, dislocations, sprains
- Torn or stained clothing
- Broken eyeglasses
- Signs of overmedication or undermedication
- Weight loss
- Rocking or mumbling
- Bedsores
- Unsanitary conditions
- Lack of sufficient staff
- Lack of answers from the staff to your questions
Nursing Home Injury Law
Federal law governs how residents and patients of nursing homes are treated. Your loved one has the right to be free from abuse, whether it is verbal, sexual, physical, or mental. Throughout the state, including Chicago, nursing home negligence is addressed by the Illinois statute on aging that protects the elderly from abuse and neglect.
A nursing home must implement certain policies to protect its residents from neglect. These policies address proper training, proper supervision, and ways to identify, report, and investigate abuse. Illinois statute dictates the process for reporting abuse activity to the facility’s administrator and any applicable state agencies.
If you suspect any kind of nursing home abuse, you need to report it to the facility administrator. He or she has a legal obligation to investigate your allegations.
If you have questions about what constitutes nursing home negligence in Chicago or have concerns about your loved one’s facility, take the action to contact one of our attorneys at Healy Scanlon Veugeler Gannon, skilled in cases of nursing home malpractice. Seeking legal advice is the right thing to do to protect your loved one, who is unable to protect himself or herself.
Contact Our Illinois Elder Abuse Attorneys
There is never a charge to discuss your case with one of our Chicago nursing home neglect attorneys. Evening and weekend consultations are available. To speak to us, call 312-977-0100 or send us an e-mail.