When the vast majority of Americans think about problems at nursing homes, they think of outright abuse, such as intentional physical harm, verbal abuse, or sexual misconduct. In reality, the vast majority of problematic behavior from nursing home staff members comes in the form of nursing home neglect.
Nursing home neglect differs from nursing home abuse in that neglect is not always intentional, but is often an unintentional oversight or breach of responsibility that results in harm to the nursing home occupant. Thousands of elderly Americans are plagued by the negligence of their caretakers, and if you believe that your elderly loved one is being negatively affected by negligent staff at their nursing home facility, it is important to understand your legal options.
Types of Nursing Home Negligence
Much like nursing home abuse, negligence in a senior care facility can come in a number of different forms. The four most common types of senior care negligence include:
- Emotional Neglect: This type of neglect can come in many shapes and sizes, from ignoring the social needs of a patient isolating them in response to their behavior. Emotional neglect can be incredibly harmful to a patient’s emotional state, and it may cause a patient to remain socially isolated, ignore prior friendships, and suffer from depression.
- Medical Neglect: With this type of neglect, nursing home staff members are unable or unwilling to care for the medical needs of a resident. This form of nursing home neglect can come with serious medical ramifications if caretakers fail to properly take care of medical issues such as infections or bedsores. Medical neglect can also occur when a staff member fails to ensure that a resident is taking medications for pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes or dementia.
- Hygienic Neglect: Nursing home staff members are responsible for ensuring that patients are taking care of their personal hygiene. Patients with cognitive disorders commonly lose their interest in personal hygiene practices such as brushing their teeth, taking regular showers, or changing their clothes. It is staff members’ job to ensure that residents’ basic hygienic needs are met.
- Neglect of Basic Needs: Some forms of elderly neglect can be facility-wide. If a nursing home resident is not provided with regular food and water or is not living in a clean environment, you will likely need to find a new facility that can meet their needs. Frequent visitation with your loved one offers you a chance to gain invaluable insight into the conditions of the facility, and knowing when to make a change can be critically important to their health and well-being.
Contact a Cook County Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer
At Pullano & Siporin, we know how important your elderly loved ones are to you. We also understand how devastating it can be to realize that they have been neglected or abused by the nursing home staff you have entrusted with their care. Fortunately, our legal team has decades of experience helping families recover from the drastic impact of an injury to a loved one. If you believe that your elderly family member has been the victim of neglect at their nursing home facility, it is time to seek out legal assistance. To set up a free consultation with a Chicago nursing home negligence attorney, call us today at 312-551-1100.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/definitions.html
