If you placed your elderly loved one in a nursing home, and suddenly feel as if the actions of the nursing home staff seem odd or strange in a suspicious or negative way, make sure to follow up to ensure that your loved one is safe from harm. Unfortunately, elderly residents of nursing homes often suffer from physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse resulting in serious harm or injury. In many cases, when the nursing home staff begins acting odd or strangely, it may be a sign that your elderly loved one suffered some form of elder abuse or neglect.
If you feel your elderly loved one suffered from any kind of abuse or neglect in a nursing home, and the staff begins behaving inappropriately or in a strange way, consider how a Los Angeles odd actions on the part of the staff lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 842-6336 can help you and your family receive justice.
Specific Examples of Odd Actions on the Part of the Nursing Home Staff
First, if you placed your loved one in a nursing home and begin to feel that the nursing home staff acts in a strange, secretive, or inappropriate way towards you, your loved one, or other residents in the nursing home, this may be a sign of possible physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse. Always make sure to check your loved one for any signs of physical harm. Any strange emotional behavior should also send up a warning flag.
Finally, if your loved one still has access to any type of independent financial accounts or estate planning documents, make sure that they remain intact. However, if after checking all of that, you still feel as if there appears to be something slightly wrong, consider the following examples of odd actions of the part of the staff in a nursing home that may indicate some form of abuse or neglect.
- Denied request to visit your loved one, or speak to them on the phone at any time
- Denied information regarding your loved one’s health or emotional condition, especially if they received transportation to a hospital or emergency room
- Denied information regarding any emergencies that occur, including the elopement or wandering of your loved one from the nursing home grounds unsupervised
- Denied information regarding a newly developed or worsening medical condition
- Denied information regarding a report of physical or emotional abuse or neglect regarding your elderly loved one
- Denied answers when you request information regarding a specific incident, unexplained injury or medical condition, or a request for a medical chart or plan of care
- Nursing home staff fails to cooperate with an independent investigation regarding any physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse of an elderly resident in the nursing home
- Failing to answer questions regarding evidence or proof of elder abuse or neglect
- Failing to launch an independent investigation into any employees or staff that remain accused of physical, emotional, sexual or financial abuse of elderly residents
- Consistent appearance of understaffed, overworked, and exhausted employees in the nursing home
The entire purpose of a nursing home is to ensure that the residents receive the proper care and supervision they need for their health and overall quality of life. If you have reason to believe that the nursing home staff where your elderly loved one resides abused or neglected your loved one in any way, consider how a Los Angeles odd actions on the part of the staff lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you and your family receive justice and compensation. Call today for your free case review.
Types of Elder Abuse and Neglect in Nursing Homes
There are four main types of elder abuse and neglect in nursing homes including physical, emotional/psychological, sexual, and financial. With elderly residents relying on the nursing home staff for their needs on a daily basis, many opportunities exist for both elder abuse and neglect. When the nursing home staff begins to act strangely or in an odd manner, consider whether or not your elderly loved one may be a victim of elder abuse or neglect.
Physical Abuse and Neglect
Research from the National Institutes of Health shows that physical abuse and neglect of elderly residents in the United States remains widespread and common. Elderly residents of nursing homes are inherently frailer than younger adults, making them easy targets for those who would vent their frustrations and anger upon another person. Additionally, many seniors also suffer from neurocognitive disorders (such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease), making it difficult for them to explain or remember the abuse. Physical abuse can include any physical harm such as punching, hitting, slapping, burning, or hurting a resident in any way. Physical neglect includes such things as failing to provide food or water as a punishment or a way to obtain compliance. Other physical neglect of an elderly person could include failing to heed repeated requests, failing to reposition bedridden or wheelchair-bound residents, or failing to help residents go to the restroom or with daily hygiene.
Emotional/Psychological Abuse and Neglect
Emotional or psychological abuse or neglect of the elderly in a nursing home may include shaming, mocking, yelling, berating, or insulting residents. Threatening to physically harm residents is also considered emotional abuse. Any type of direct emotional abuse or neglect through direct words, actions, or behavior can result in serious psychological harm to elderly residents who rely on the nursing home staff for their basic daily needs.
Sexual Abuse
Unfortunately, the National Center on Elder Abuse research indicates that sexual abuse among elderly residents of nursing homes also remains widespread and common. If you notice that your elderly loved one has a recently-diagnosed sexually transmitted disease, trouble sitting or walking, or behavioral changes, it may be the result of sexual abuse.
Financial Abuse
Some elderly residents of nursing homes still have access to their bank accounts or to their estate planning documents. Make sure to periodically check your elderly loved one’s finances to ensure that they do not suffer any financial abuse as a result of an unscrupulous person in the nursing home who would have access to their accounts.
For a free legal consultation with a Odd Actions on the Part of the Staff Lawyer serving Los Angeles, call (800) 842-6336
A Los Angeles Odd Actions on the Part of the Staff Lawyer Can Help You
If the nursing home staff taking care of your elderly loved one begin to act strangely or in a suspicious manner, it may actually be an attempt to cover up some form of elder abuse or neglect. If you discover any evidence that your elderly loved one suffered abuse or neglect as a resident in a nursing home, a Los Angeles odd actions on the part of the staff lawyer at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm can help you with your next legal steps. Call (800) 842-6336 today for your free consultation.
Call or text (800) 842-6336 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
