As of 2017, more than 507,000 military veterans were living in Arizona, according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). More than half of those veterans—263,135, to be precise—were 65 years or older at the time the figures were published. However, those veterans do not always receive the care they deserve.
If your loved one is a veteran who you believe has not received the care they deserve from VA or a nursing home, you may have reason to take legal action. Call our Phoenix veterans neglect and abuse lawyer team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to speak about how we may be able to help.
Veterans Often Do Not Receive the Care They Deserve
Even before a veteran reaches a stage in their life when they may need to move into a nursing home, they may not be granted the care they are entitled to.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), some health care-related problems that veterans face include:
- Incompetent health care providers
- Long wait times for appointments
- Ineffective misconduct complaint systems
Unfortunately, the idea that veterans are not being treated with the respect they deserve as it pertains to their health care may extend to their experiences in nursing homes.
Veterans May Be Mistreated in Nursing Homes
As veterans transition into the later stages of life, they may move into a nursing home. Veterans may face difficulty or uneasiness when transitioning into a nursing home setting because:
- A nursing home may not have many, or any, other veterans within its pool of residents.
- A veteran may be intimidated by the new environment, just as any new resident would be.
- A veteran may feel some sense of lost independence by moving into a setting where they receive some measure of assistance on a daily basis.
While the second two issues are struggles that many nursing home residents face, veterans may get much of their sense of community from being around fellow veterans. In a nursing home, regular interaction with other veterans may not be possible, and this may lead a veteran to become isolated.
Whether or not your veteran-loved one acclimates well or poorly to their nursing home, they face the risk of neglect and abuse that many nursing home residents face, especially as they get older.
Abuse and Neglect Are Unfortunate Realities of Some Nursing Homes
According to nursing home and long-term care staffers polled by the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 66% of caregivers admitted to perpetrating abuse of the elderly in the previous year. This statistic does not bode well for nursing home residents, including veterans.
If your loved one is living in a nursing home, then you must be aware of these statistics and do what you can to protect them from harm. One way to do this is to be aware of the signs that they may have been mistreated in the nursing home where they live or lived in the past.
You can call our Phoenix veterans neglect and abuse lawyer team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation if you suspect that your loved one has been mistreated.
Possible Signs of Neglect
Some of the possible symptoms of negligence in a nursing home setting that your loved one may exhibit include:
- Poor hygiene, which may indicate that your loved one is not receiving regular bathing, teeth brushing, or other forms of essential care.
- Bedsores, which could mean that your loved one is not being rotated regularly, or having their wounds tended to. Bedsores can lead to serious infection if the staff leaves them untreated.
- Isolation or withdrawal, which you may notice when you visit your loved one.
- An unkempt appearance.
Neglect may lead to your loved one losing their sense of enjoyment in life, which could contribute to mental and physical decline. Another form of mistreatment that occurs in nursing homes is abuse.
Possible Signs of Abuse
It is one thing to fail to administer care that your loved one needs, and that is typically referred to as neglect. It is a whole other form of mistreatment to go out of your way to inflict harm—a cruel act, generally known as abuse.
Abuse comes in several forms, including:
- Emotional
- Psychological
- Physical
The symptoms of these forms of abuse may manifest as changes in your loved one’s personality, such as:
- Depression
- Willful isolation
- Unexpected, uncharacteristic outbursts
Abuse may also result in physical changes in your loved one, possibly including:
- Cuts, bruises, and other signs of trauma
- Weight loss
- Hair loss
- Serious injuries such as broken bones
These are not all of the indications that your loved one is being mistreated in their nursing home. Any change to your loved one’s disposition and any complaint they make should be taken seriously.
For a free legal consultation with a Veterans Neglect and Abuse Lawyer serving Phoenix, call (800) 794-0444
Speak with a Lawyer if You Suspect Mistreatment
If you suspect that your loved one has been mistreated, then you may want to:
- Call authorities
- Get your loved one to safety
- Speak with a lawyer
A lawyer will assist you in pursuing any legal action that is necessary to:
- Hold the nursing home accountable.
- Pursue compensation that your loved one deserves for the mistreatment they suffered.
- Seek justice on your loved one’s behalf.
You do not have to face the prospect of protecting your loved one, nor the process of holding those who have mistreated your loved one accountable, on your own.
Call Our Team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Today
We will do everything in our power to protect your loved one from further harm and seek justice through a personal injury lawsuit. Call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
