How Does Nursing Home Neglect Differ from Abuse?

Unfortunately, neglectful or abusive actions within your loved one’s nursing home care facility are more conceivable than you may initially anticipate. Such wrongful actions may be perpetrated by the facility’s medical professionals, staff members, fellow residents, or even welcomed visitors on the premises. By serving as your loved one’s protector, you must identify signs of either or both wrongful actions, before they get seriously injured or incur irreversible damages. Continue reading to learn how nursing home neglect is different from abuse and how an experienced Tampa medical malpractice lawyer at Merricks Law Group, P.A. can help protect your loved one from such wrongful actions.

What is considered to be neglect in a nursing home care facility?

By definition, neglect in a nursing home care facility is considered an act of omission in the care of its residents. Such an omission may lead its residents to experience potential or actual harm. More specific examples of how your loved one may have been neglected are as follows:

• An attending physician may have failed to promptly respond to your loved one’s emergency call for medical assistance.
• A nursing aid may have failed to change your loved one’s clothes, escort them to the restroom, or assist them in bathing.
• A staff member may have failed to adequately survey the premises and spot your loved one exiting the facility.

How is nursing home neglect different from abuse?

While nursing home neglect is oftentimes accidental, abuse is more than likely an act that is done on purpose. That is, it may be done with the intent to cause your loved one physical pain, mental anguish, and emotional distress. Without further ado, nursing home abuse may manifest in any of the following forms:

• Signs of physical abuse seen in a nursing home care facility:
  • Your loved one may appear to be under- or overly-medicated.
  • Your loved one may have unexplainable cuts or gashes all over their body.
• Mental and emotional abuse:
  • Your loved one may exhibit drastic shifts in mood.
  • Your loved one may begin to self-neglect themself and their well-being.
• Sexual abuse:
  • Your loved one may have unexplainable bruises around their wrists and ankles.
  • Your loved one may be lying in torn bedsheets and ripped or blood-stained undergarments.
• Financial abuse:
  • Your loved one may be missing meaningful personal possessions from their private room.
  • Your loved one may have drastic changes in their bank account statements or estate planning documents.

In conclusion, whether your loved one is being made the victim of neglect, abuse, or both, it is completely unacceptable. If unsure of your next move, you must resort to a skilled Hillsborough County personal injury lawyer. Someone at Merricks Law Group, P.A. will know which legal option works in your best interest. So call our firm today.