Protect Your Vulnerable Loved One In Long-Term Care

Selecting a nursing home in Ohio and West Virginia for a cherished loved one is a difficult task. Partly, this is because it marks a significant new chapter in which relationships have changed, and partly, it is because a staff of strangers will now be responsible for your loved one’s care. While you have probably done everything in your power to ensure that the nursing home you chose was safe, abuse and mistreatment can still happen in the safest of environments.

What Kind Of Mistreatment Happens At Nursing Homes?

There are a few different varieties of mistreatment that we commonly see with our clients. These include:

• Neglect: With as many as 70 percent of Ohio nursing homes suffering from a staff shortage, there simply are not enough caregivers to go around. Consequently, nurses and other employees have more residents than they can handle. This can lead to bedsores, missed medication, soiled clothing and sheets, malnourishment, dehydration and more. Visiting doctors may also fail to diagnose problems they should readily notice.
• Financial abuse: In some cases, nursing home staff will gain access to a resident’s finances and make unauthorized withdrawals or purchases. It pays to have someone keep a close watch on your loved one’s bank account to catch the signs of elderly financial abuse.
• Physical abuse: Abuse in a nursing home can also be physical. Sometimes inadequate background checks mean that people with a history of violence can be on staff without supervision. The nursing home may also fail to keep your loved one away from other residents who become violent, resulting in injuries.

Whether the mistreatment your loved one has suffered is passive or active, one thing that does not change is the nursing home’s obligation to keep them safe. If that does not happen, you may be able to recover damages from the owner of the facility, the administrators or other parties. A lawyer at The Stuckey Firm, LLC, in Springfield, Ohio, can help you assess whether nursing home neglect is verifiable and identify your options during a free consultation.

Protecting Those Who Cannot Protect Themselves

When you fight back against nursing home abuse and neglect, you are not only helping your loved one but are also helping an untold number of residents who may have encountered that exact situation. Let us help you.

For a free consultation at our Springfield or Columbus offices, please contact our legal team to speak with an attorney. You can reach out through email or by phone: 937-471-3837.