When you send your loved ones to a nursing home, you expect that they will receive quality care from trained professionals. However, the truth is that some nursing homes are better than others when it comes to the level of care that they provide. Therefore, it's critical to understand the signs of physical abuse so that you can remove your loved one from a dangerous situation.
A new bruise, a scratch on the arm or a cut on the leg could all be caused by a caregiver. These injuries could be caused by a smack to the face or because your loved one was thrown to the floor or against a wall. Broken bones may also be the result of being hit by a person or being struck by a moving object.
An individual who is being abused may showcase signs of depression such as withdrawal from activities or a reduced desire to eat. In some cases, this is because patients have been told that they'll face harm for engaging in group activities or if they eat too much.
However, those who are battling depression caused by physical abuse may not see the point in engaging with others or eating regularly. Withdrawing is often a survival tactic by which a person hopes to remain in the shadows to avoid the wrath of others in the room.
Let's say that your loved one has been struck on the head with an object or hit their head in a fall. This may cause a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can result in both physical and emotional damage.
The injury may cause the brain to rewire itself, which can result in changes in personality and mood. Your previously outgoing parent may become bitter or say or do things that are outside of their typical personality.
Often, these changes are subtle and may be attributed to other things such as stress or simple aging. However, if changes in mood coincide with other clues of physical abuse, it may be time to contact a compassionate nursing home abuse lawyer. An attorney may be able to help you obtain medical records or other evidence that can help you obtain a favorable outcome in a personal injury case.
If you visit your parent or spouse on a regular basis, it makes it harder to hide what staff members are doing to that person. Therefore, caregivers may act in a cold or standoffish manner in an effort to get you to stop by or call less often. They may also do this in an effort to limit the amount of time you'll spend asking questions or otherwise attempting to gain insight into your loved one's experience.
Although you may not expect your loved one to be in danger while in the care of professionals, physical abuse does occur. You can protect your loved one by following up on any issues that you have either on your own or with the help of an attorney.
