Detecting Signs of Nursing Home Abuse, Elder Care Neglect Red Flags

Virginia (VA) Medical Malpractice Lawyers
Offices in VA Beach, Hampton & Elizabeth City, NC 
 

We place our loved ones in adult care because we want them to have the attention, medical support, and care that they need. However, all too often, adult care facilities are plagued with physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, and financial nursing home abuse. It can be hard to know what is going on at your loved one's care center since you cannot protect them at all times. However, there are signs you can look for that can act as red flags to the abuse.

Have you noticed any of the following in your loved one who resides in a nursing home?

· Cuts, bruises, broken bones, sprains, or other physical signs that they are being hit or neglected.

· Signs of poor hygiene - dirty hair or soiled sheets, dirty rooms, insect problems.

· Signs of malnutrition or dehydration, or lack of proper amounts of food when you visit during meal times. Weight loss.

· The presence of physical restraints - or even simply bed sheet tucked too tightly around patients to restrict movement.

· Nervous staff members who don't leave you alone in the room with your loved one or who delay or refuse your visits.

· Acute stiffness, frozen joints, skin infections, and bedsores - signs that your loved one is not being cared for, turned and monitored.

· A lack of supervision, or basic inattention, which could lead to patients leaving the grounds or hurting themselves without staff knowledge.

· Unsafe grounds or rooms that do not protect elder or ailing patients.

· Overmedication, either to keep your loved one from needing attention or to keep your loved one from reporting abuse or neglect.

· Stolen or missing items in your loved one's room, or missing money from loved one's accounts.

· Sudden changes in your loved one's demeanor, especially emotional withdrawal.

· The sudden appearance of venereal disease or bleeding or tearing in the genital region.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Virginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have extensive experience handling medical malpractice and doctor mistake cases. Please take a few moments to review our medical malpractice case results. We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, VA, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia, including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Suffolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by the carelessness of a doctor, surgeon, nurse or pharmacist.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008. Also, Rick and Jim have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010. Fewer than 5 percent of lawyers are chosen for this professional honor.

Members of our VA personal injury law firm have also been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA medical malpractice firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

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