Ocala Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
We entrust the staff and management of nursing homes and assisted living facilities with the care of our older loved ones. Most nursing homes provide a high quality of living, and most staff members of nursing and retirement homes are responsible, caring, trustworthy people. Yet, all too often the elderly are taken advantage of, neglected, or downright abused. Nationwide nursing home abuse and neglect is on the rise, as is elder abuse in general, according to US News. This comes at a time when thousands of suspected abuse and neglect cases were never reported by nursing homes to the federal government, which is law according to Mercury News. If you or your loved one are the victim of institutional abuse at a nursing home, assisted living facility, or senior living center, compensation for your or your loved ones damages can be pursued for civil justice. Here at The Pendas Law Firm, our Ocala nursing home abuse lawyers can help you collect compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of joy of life, and more.
Defining Abuse in Florida Nursing Homes
Abuse, as well as neglect, can be difficult to detect if your elder loved one suffers from dementia, Alzheimer’s, or general confusion about his or her rights. Signs for abuse include unexplained injuries that the elderly person does not want to discuss, fear of caretakers, fear of leaving his or her room, depression, anxiety, unexplained weight loss or weight gain, scratches, bruises, lacerations, and broken bones. Abuse can take many forms, including all of the following:
- Hitting, pushing, punching, shoving, or pulling a resident;
- Using unwarranted physical force to get an elderly person to do something they do not want to do;
- Yelling at the elderly person;
- Intimidating, coercing, belittling the victim, or talking to the elderly person as if they were a child;
- Making cruel jokes;
- Withholding food or water;
- Punishing the elderly person in any way;
- Sexual abuse, such as groping, touching of private parts, kissing, verbal suggestions, or sexual intercourse;
- Taking cruel or degrading pictures of residents; and
- More.
Elder Neglect
Neglect is even more common than abuse, and occurs whenever a nursing home or assisted living facility fails to provide adequate care for a resident. Elder neglect can manifest in bed sores, illness, rapid weight loss or weight gain, serious injuries, unkempt appearance, and depression. A few examples of nursing home neglect include the following:
- Failing to give the resident their medication on time, or giving them the wrong dose or prescription;
- Failing to give the resident enough food or water;
- Failing to change bedsheets, wash the elderly person’s clothing, or clean the elderly person; and
- Failing to move a bed-ridden elderly person, which results in bed sores;
- Not attending to cuts and scrapes;
- Not attending quickly to falls or other serious injuries or urgent medical conditions.
Call an Ocala Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer From the Pendas Law Firm Today
Nursing homes have a duty to care for the elderly and disabled, and when a staff member or management fails to uphold this duty by abusing or neglecting a resident, resulting in harm, legal action can be taken. For professional legal assistance, the Ocala nursing home abuse attorneys at The Pendas Law Firm are here; call 1-844-200-0000 to schedule a free consultation today.
