Is Your Elderly Loved One Being Abused In A Care Home? Here’s What You Need To Do Right Away
People take their elderly relatives to live in care homes so that they can spend their senior years peacefully and enjoy their lives without any stress. Some people even choose to move to nursing homes out of their own will as they expect to be given a high level of care and attention that they need after a certain age without putting too much burden on their younger relatives. The last thing anyone expects from care homes is to abuse the elderly and treat them badly when they are in their care. That is why if you have a feeling that your elderly loved one is being treated poorly in a care home, you should act quickly to end such treatment as soon as possible. Here are the steps you should take if you ever suspect such maltreatment to your loved one in a care facility.
Take Your Loved One Away
If you suspect that your elderly loved one is being treated badly or is facing any kind of abuse in the facility then the first thing you should do is move them from that place. This way, you will be able to ensure your loved ones are safe until you can unravel how they have been treated and either confirm or eliminate your suspicions. You can take your loved ones to your own home for a little while until you can figure out other options or move them straight away to a different facility that can treat them more respectfully.
Hire a Lawyer
Abusing the vulnerable elderly in any way is considered a crime and has a heavy penalty. Your elders are expected to be well taken care of at the facility but if you think the opposite was done and you want to set things straight, start by hiring an experienced Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer so that they can do all the digging and find out exactly what happened, as well as file the necessary complaints and police reports depending on what they find. In some severe cases, a lawsuit may be necessary to hold the facility accountable for its actions. As mentioned by the attorneys at DSSLaw.com, when you suspect abuse at a care home, you need to make sure you take the necessary legal action to get the abusers the punishment they deserve. The lawyer you hire can help you sue the care home and the individuals who harmed your elderly loved ones to ensure nobody else faces similar trauma.
Keep Evidence
When you sense abuse at a care home, chances are your suspicions are there for a reason and that there is some kind of maltreatment in the facility. However, the only way you can confirm your suspicions and take the appropriate actions is if you keep evidence, no matter how big or small, to support your case. Talk to your elderly loved ones to see if they can tell you anything and keep track of their health as well as any small details that may arise over time. Collecting all the evidence can then help you make a case against the care home to save your elderly relative and any other patients in the facility.
Forms of Elderly Abuse
Suspecting elderly abuse in a care home means they could be treated badly in various different ways. The forms of elderly abuse can be anything from physical harm to neglect or even financial abuse. Some nursing home workers physically harm the elderly residents by kicking and pushing them around which can be incredibly serious and dangerous. This is considered a severe criminal offense and the people responsible can face jail sentencing for many years. Similarly, neglecting the needs of the seniors who live in a care home can still be considered a serious form of abuse as they usually move into those homes in search of constant care and attention when they can longer care for themselves like they used to when they were younger. Financial abuse is also considered a form of maltreatment in care homes as some workers use the vulnerability of the elderly against them and scam the seniors for their money.
When you leave your elderly in a care home, you want them to get the best possible care and respect for as long as they stay in that place. That is why if at any point you suspect that they are being treated with anything but respect, you should take immediate action to stop their abuse and get them their full rights. Once you suspect maltreatment, contact the local authorities, take your loved ones away from that place, and start thinking about hiring a lawyer. Make sure you collect sufficient evidence of the abuse so that you can build a strong case against the abusers and save your elderly from the traumatic effects of facilities that treat them badly.
