Bruises, cuts, and burns create a reason to believe that your loved one may be suffering neglect or abuse by a caregiver, another resident, or somebody else who has access to them in their nursing home. You should call appropriate protective authorities, such as law enforcement or Adult Protective Services, to investigate the circumstances of your loved one’s injuries if answers from representatives of the nursing home leave you with more questions or suspicions.
If you believe that abuse or neglect may have played a role in your loved one’s injuries after intervention from protective services, a nursing home abuse attorney serving Berwyn may help you begin the pursuit of compensation and justice for your loved one’s injuries. Our legal team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm wants to help victims of nursing home abuse or neglect. Call us for a free consultation.
Know the Signs of Elder Abuse and Neglect
Anybody who mistreats your loved one probably does not believe that you will ask questions when suspicious signs arise. Keep a lookout for cuts, burns, bruises, or otherwise unexpected markings. Doing so could unearth serious mistreatment of your loved one and possibly other residents, too.
All injuries deserve attention, and you deserve a valid explanation for every bump, bruise, or scratch that you find on your loved one. According to the National Institute on Aging, signs of abuse or neglect in the elderly may lead to more serious injuries such as:
- Broken bones, including arms, legs, the skull, and the hip—one of the most serious injuries that an elderly person can sustain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Bleeding from the genital region or rectum, which may signal sexual abuse.
- A concussion, which can lead to headaches and other symptoms and may originally result from a caregiver hitting the resident in the head or failing to prevent the resident from falling.
You should monitor not just your loved one’s physical health, but their emotional health and behavioral patterns as well. Your loved one’s demeanor and behaviors can prove just as critical in communicating possible mistreatment.
Behavioral Changes Could Indicate Abuse or Neglect in Elderly
If you notice injuries such as bruises, cuts, and burns on your loved one and do not receive an explanation that eases your suspicions, monitor your loved one’s behavior and emotional state. If you see concerning changes, then you may have accurate suspicions of elder abuse.
Some changes to look out for include:
- Outbursts that are uncharacteristic of your loved one, which may involve violence or verbal threats.
- An increase in their anxiety and fear, which may manifest as restlessness, recoiling from your touch, tapping their foot, and irritability.
- Strange behaviors such as urinating on themselves without explanation.
- Apparent lack of sleep, which may result from fear and, in some cases, night terrors related to abuse. Abuse may also occur at nighttime, disrupting their sleep patterns.
- A disheveled appearance, such as an overgrown beard, uncombed hair, and poor hygiene, all of which may result from nursing home neglect.
- Your loved one withdrawing from you, their peers, and activities that they love due to depression or threats from their abuser.
You know your loved one, and you will likely know when their behavior and demeanor change. If they do not have some medical explanation for such drastic changes, such as dementia, then you may have reason to suspect that abuse in the nursing home is occurring.
Our legal team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today offers free consultations on how to proceed with your suspicions of nursing home abuse. Call us.
For a free legal consultation with a Unexplained Bruises or Cuts or Burns Lawyer serving Berwyn, call (800) 794-0444
How A Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Serving Berwyn May Help
Once you have enough reason to bring legal action, having legal representation may help you determine who bears responsibility for any neglect or abuse in a nursing home endured by your loved one. Possible defendants include:
- Any person responsible for the mistreatment of your loved one, whether through physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
- Those in charge of the nursing home.
- Any resident that abused your loved one.
A nursing home lawyer may produce and file the necessary documentation naming the defendants responsible for your loved one’s abuse or neglect. This documentation will get your potential case started, and from there, your attorney may:
- Collect and organize any available evidence of your loved one’s injuries, such as medical reports, photographs of injuries, and testimony.
- Obtain testimony of medical professionals who say your loved one’s injuries are from possible abuse.
- Stay in touch with counsel for the defendant(s) so that you remain aware of any available settlement offers.
- Serve as your legal advisor and guide throughout the entirety of the legal process, until it concludes with a judgment or settlement.
- Protect you and your loved one’s rights.
The heart of your lawyer’s responsibility includes organizing and documenting evidence of wrongdoing by one or more defendants in your case. This will lead to either a settlement or a trial, and if necessary, your Berwyn unexplained bruises, cuts, or burns lawyer may present a case exhibiting the defendants’ negligence to a jury, who could award your loved one compensation for their various losses.
Berwyn Unexplained Bruises or Cuts or Burns Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm for Help Today
Our clients pay us nothing upfront and nothing out of pocket, and we do not shy away from even the toughest of cases. Call a Berwyn unexplained bruises, cuts, or burns lawyer for a free consultation. We aim to ensure that your loved one remains safe from further harm and pursues the compensation they deserve.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
