Verbal mistreatment (also referred to as verbal abuse) can negatively affect your loved one’s health, including their ability to thrive in a social setting, maintain stable mental health, and remain independent, according to a study published in the Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect.
Emotional abuse can be taxing since this behavior can wield an even greater effect on your loved one if they are elderly and unable to defend themselves. Emotional abuse is a type of elder abuse that’s typically done in a nursing home facility.
If you believe that your loved one endured verbal and emotional abuse by an employee or resident in their nursing home, then you may be able to seek compensation on your loved one’s behalf. Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to discuss your loved one’s case at no cost.
Identifying Emotional And Verbal Abuse
Your loved one deserves respect from the staff and fellow residents at the nursing home where they live. You need to know what defines emotional and verbal abuse so that you can choose whether to bring a lawsuit against those guilty of either type of abuse. According to an article that appeared in Aging Well, such elder psychological abuse may include:
- Insults.
- Scolding.
- Harassment.
- Belittling and name-calling.
- Threats of physical punishment or deprivation of food, heat, medicine, etc.
- Isolation.
You may experience a greater challenge spotting emotional and verbal abuse than you would other forms of mistreatment, such as physical abuse or financial exploitation. If your loved one stops acting like themselves, ask them about how caregivers, other residents, and administrators speak to them, and whether they feel that they have been mistreated.
Possible Signs That Your Loved One is Being Emotionally or Verbally Abused
Though emotional abuse and verbal abuse can occur independent of each other, they often go hand-in-hand. Verbal abuse may serve as the means by which an abuser manipulates your loved one’s emotions in a way that is detrimental to their health.
Possible signs of emotional and verbal abuse in your loved one are:
- A lack of sleep, which they may tell you about or show through their appearance.
- An apparent jitteriness, which may result from fear or anxiety.
- Depression not typical of your loved one.
- A loss of self-confidence and a sense of dependence.
- Any reaction to a caregiver, another resident, or administrator that concerns you.
- A loss of zest for life.
- Unusual tension.
- Your loved one telling you that they experience nightmares.
- Your loved one telling you that they experience treatment that qualifies as verbal or emotional abuse.
If your loved one has suffered emotional or verbal abuse, especially over a significant period of time, then you should question the overall safety of the nursing home where they live. Start a plan of action for getting your loved one to a safe location, call law enforcement, and then call a Berwyn verbal or emotional abuse lawyer.
Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation.
For a free legal consultation with a Verbal or Emotional Abuse Lawyer serving Berwyn, call (800) 794-0444
Defendants in an Elder Psychological Abuse Lawsuit
While you should certainly consider bringing criminal charges for abuse inflicted on your loved one, it could be easier to obtain justice in civil court.
A Berwyn verbal or emotional abuse lawyer will build a case on your loved one’s behalf. Possible defendants in your case include:
- Any individual who perpetrated the emotional or verbal abuse.
- Staff in charge of the nursing home, as they are likely responsible for the behavior of their subordinates.
- Any other person who contributed to the mistreatment of your loved one.
Berwyn Verbal or Emotional Abuse Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
How a Lawyer Can Help
Identifying defendants is one of the first steps in pursuing justice. From there, a Berwyn verbal or emotional abuse attorney will:
- Get to the root of exactly what types of abuse took place, as you may find that verbal and emotional abuse represents only part of a larger pattern of mistreatment.
- Take a statement from your loved one, if they are capable of giving one, that explains the abuse that the defendant or defendants inflicted on them.
- Identify and interview witnesses who saw the abuse, documenting their testimony for use at trial or in settlement proceedings.
- Take care of the legal aspect of your case while you focus on finding your loved one a safe place to live.
- Protect the rights of both you and your loved one.
The lawyers for the defendants in your case could offer a settlement, which your lawyer will prepare and review with you. If your case goes to trial, a jury could award compensation if they believe that abuse most likely occurred.
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Possible Awards For a Victim of Emotional or Verbal Abuse
If your loved one’s case leads to a favorable judgement or settlement, they may collect awards covering:
- The amount you paid for residence in the nursing home where the abuse happened.
- The cost of medical treatments for injuries that may have been caused by abuse.
- Pain and suffering from the abuse, sometimes significant in a case involving abuse.
If you believe that verbal or emotional abuse contributed to your loved one’s death, which is entirely possible based on the known effects of these abuses, then you could be entitled to additional compensation under a wrongful death claim.
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A Berwyn Verbal or Emotional Abuse Lawyer Can Help
We will make it our mission to obtain justice on behalf of your loved one. Call our team today for a free consultation. Our clients do not pay anything out of pocket, and we only collect a fee if we win your case.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
