The majority of the time, nursing home facilities take good care of their residents, showing them the love and care they need to live the best possible lives that they can.
Unfortunately, not every nursing home cares for its residents in the proper way that it should. Even at a facility with a strong track record of stellar care, a staff member could be abusing residents, causing physical and emotional pain and damage.
If you begin to notice odd bruising on your loved one’s body at the nursing home, this could be an indication that staff members or other residents are harming your loved one physically. Clearly, this should not be occurring at any nursing home. Staff members have a duty to do everything possible to protect elderly residents.
Consider contacting the offices of an Austin bruises lawyer. The team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm is ready to defend your right to receive compensation for your injuries and pain and suffering. We are willing to take on the toughest cases. Call us at (800) 842-6336 for a free case review today.
Why Elderly People Bruise So Easily
As a person ages, they tend to suffer bruises more easily than perhaps occurred during their younger years. Sometimes, you may visit your loved one at the nursing home, asking where he or she picked up a certain bruise, and your loved one may not even know.
According to the Mayo Clinic, as a person ages, the skin becomes thinner, particularly for women. Additionally, fatty layers under the skin begin to dissipate.
Both of these factors leave less of a cushion for the tiny capillaries under the skin. So when an elderly person bumps into something, the chances of breaking the tiny blood vessels increases, which leads to a noticeable bruise.
Watching Out for Bruising
Because an older person bruises so easily, unexpected bruises can be a clue that some sort of abuse is occurring at the nursing home, as can unexpected scratches, swelling, or welts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If a staff member grabs your loved one roughly by the arm in anger, it almost certainly will leave a bruise.
If staff members or other residents are punching or pinching your loved one, abusing them, additional bruising will be possible. If you notice odd bruises, you should ask your loved one about them, understanding that they may not remember what happened or may be lying about the abuse that is occurring because of embarrassment or fear.
If you suspect abuse, ask your loved one to visit a doctor to have the bruises examined. A doctor can often determine whether a particular type of bruise shows that abuse is occurring. Additionally, your loved one may feel more comfortable telling the doctor about abuse rather than telling you as a family member.
Seeking Help with Your Case
When you believe the injuries your loved one has suffered at the nursing home relate to abuse, you may want to contact an Austin bruises lawyer.
Count on the team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm to investigate the claims of abuse thoroughly. We will work hard to hold the facility responsible for its inability to keep your loved one safe while also seeking a settlement that fairly compensates your family for medical bills related to the abuse, as well as for physical and emotional pain and suffering.
Other Reasons Bruising May Occur
Even if abuse is not happening at the nursing home, it is important to keep an eye on unexpected bruises that your loved one may have. Sometimes, bruising can be a sign of health problems. Some of the causes for bruises, other than abuse, include:
● Side effects of medication: bruising can be a sign that a certain medication is thinning the blood too much, and a doctor may want to switch to a different brand.
● Side effects of supplements: some supplements your loved one may be taking could create a blood-thinning effect, leading to an increased bruising risk.
● Blood does not clot easily: someone who has a history of blood clotting problems could bruise easily, and medical personnel at the nursing home need to keep an eye out for odd bruising that shows internal bleeding is occurring.
● Blood disease: your loved one’s blood has low levels of platelets or proteins, which reduces the blood’s ability to clot and may indicate some sort of blood disorder.
Medical Care for Bruising
The majority of the time, doctors cannot do much to help bruises heal faster. The body will heal the area of the bruise by reabsorbing the blood back into the body, which can take quite a while for an elderly person.
If it seems to be taking longer than it should for your loved one’s bruising to heal, you should let the doctor know, as this could be a sign of a health problem that needs an examination.
You can see the healing progress of the bruise based on the color of the bruises:
● First day: the bruise is red.
● After a few days: the bruise begins to turn purple or even black.
● After 5-10 days: the bruise begins to turn yellow or green.
● After a couple of weeks: the bruise is nearly healed with a light brown or tan color.
For a free legal consultation with a Bruises Lawyer serving Austin, call (800) 842-6336
We Work on a Contingency Fee Basis
We ask that you pay nothing upfront to retain the team’s services at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm. We offer our services on contingency, which means our fee comes from the final settlement in the case. We do not receive payment unless you do.
We take pride in defending victims of abuse at the nursing home. Your loved one did nothing wrong, and he or she deserves a fair settlement. You can count on us to work on your behalf. We will study all of the facts in the case, seeking to ensure your loved one receives the fairest possible treatment.
Contact us at (800) 842-6336 for a free case review.
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