Emotional abuse rears its head in many ways. Everything from direct verbal assaults to passive-aggressive acts may impact the health and wellness of a person living in a nursing home.
Acts of emotional abuse in nursing homes are responsible for many negative health effects, and as such, perpetrators should be held responsible for their misconduct and malicious behaviors. If you or a loved one suffered any form of emotional abuse at the hands of a nursing home facility or its employees, then you may be able to recover a financial award.
An Austin emotional abuse lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm might be able to work with you to determine a course of action. When you or a family member experiences pain from the actions of a nursing home facility or caregiver, then you should not have to deal with any further harm suffered by no fault of your own.
Our legal team will defend your rights and work with you to hold any responsible parties liable for their wrongful actions. Contact us today at (800) 842-6336 to discuss your situation with someone in our office.
How Emotional Abuse Manifests in Nursing Homes
There are many kinds of emotional abuse. Some forms are easy to identify, while others may be more subtle in their presentation. “Emotional or Psychological Abuse refers to verbal or nonverbal behaviors that inflict anguish, mental pain, fear, or distress on an older adult. Examples include humiliation or disrespect, verbal and non-verbal threats, harassment, and geographic or interpersonal isolation,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Regardless of the nature of abuse, quick identification and reporting is key to stopping the abuse and arriving at a just conclusion. Emotional abuse in nursing homes can surface in various ways. Some of the most common forms of emotional abuse in nursing homes include:
- Ignoring a patient’s needs and requests
- Blaming a patient for things that are not their fault
- Verbal assaults and threats
- Humiliating a patient, whether publicly or in private
- Yelling, accosting, and other forms of verbal harassment
- Denying the patient basic social needs
Hard as they may be to process, these forms of emotional abuse and others should be reported whenever they are suspected. Allowing emotional abuse to progress unchecked often leads to an amplification of its negative effects. Abusers who suffer no consequences for their actions only tend to ramp up their wrongful behavior.
There is a range of legal and financial penalties that perpetrators of nursing home abuse face. While you should receive compensation for your loved one’s abuse, their abuser might also face a misdemeanor or felony charge. Furthermore, some elder abuse charges may land a perpetrator in prison for up to twenty years, according to the Texas Health and Human Services (HHS) Quality Monitoring Program.
An Austin emotional abuse lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can defend your position and preserve your legal rights as we seek a just outcome on your behalf. Our legal team is not afraid of a tough case, and we will work within our abilities to actively pursue any financial awards that you and your loved ones may be owed. To learn more, contact a member of our team today.
The Consequences of Emotional Abuse in Nursing Homes
Emotional abuse places an immense psychological burden on victims. Victims of abuse may begin to think that they are doing something wrong, even when they are innocent. Severe and persistent emotional abuse can introduce depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts in victims. Nursing home residents who have pre-existing mental conditions are at an even greater risk of these effects and others.
Psychological effects inflicted by emotional abuse often surface through physical symptoms. For example, depression can trigger the disruption of a patient’s sleeping or eating habits. These effects often begin a cascade of negative health outcomes that can rapidly deteriorate a patient’s mental and physical condition. Promptly identifying and punishing a perpetrator of emotional abuse can have a major impact on the current and future health of a victim.
When you have a lawyer on your side, they will work to establish a liable party and hold them responsible. Sometimes an individual’s heinous behaviors make it easy to establish liability.
However, in other situations, a nursing home facility’s neglect may deem them liable. A lawyer will collect evidence as they investigate the cause of emotional abuse. They will then pursue justice and seek to recover any financial awards that you and your loved ones may be owed.
For a free legal consultation with a Emotional Abuse Lawyer serving Austin, call (800) 794-0444
Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Today for Help
Emotional abuse is a painful form of nursing home abuse. The impacts of emotional abuse are far-reaching, and they often create dangerous circumstances for a nursing home resident. The anger and resentment that emotional abuse acts generate can make it hard to act rationally on your own.
When you have a lawyer on your side, they will help you explore your options as they defend your position and pursue justice on your behalf.
An Austin emotional abuse lawyer from Pintas & Mullins Law Firm will stand up for you and your loved ones after an act of nursing home abuse. Our legal team will investigate your situation by collecting detailed evidence and interviewing relevant parties connected to the incident.
Our lawyers will interpret any federal, state, and local laws that may apply to your situation. We will work to recover any financial awards that you may be owed for your pain and suffering and keep you updated along the way.
Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today by picking up the phone and dialing (800) 842-6336.
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