If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

02 Feb If You Suspect Nursing Home Abuse

If you suspect that abuse is going on in a nursing home facility, you should take certain measures to verify that suspicion and to make certain that your loved one and the other people in the nursing home are safe. You can utilize a variety of resources to get good information and to see what the next step you should take is at any given point that you are looking into the matter.

Doctors

One of the first things you'll want to do is to contact your loved one's physician. The physician can take a look at your family member and determine whether or not there are signs of physical abuse. Physicians are also very knowledgeable about the psychological signs of abuse and can keep an eye out for these, as well. If there are physical signs of abuse, the physician can document them in a way that will serve you well later, in all likelihood.

The Authorities

If you have a reasonable suspicion that your loved one is being abused or that somebody else is being abused at the nursing home, you should consider contacting the authorities. The authorities are the only people who are in a position to put an end to the abuse decisively. They may want to launch an investigation or they may want to speak with you in depth before they intervene. If you report anything to the authorities, be certain to follow their lead in how you deal with it from that point on.

Other Families

If you don't have a strong enough suspicion of abuse to justify calling the authorities or contact a physician, at least consider talking to other families who have a loved one at the facility. If they suspect that there is abuse going on, as well, it's a sign that there may well be something suspicious going on at the facility.

Be aware of the fact that, if your loved one has dementia or some other affliction that diminishes their cognitive abilities, an abuser may take advantage of them specifically because of that fact. It's very difficult to determine whether or not people with conditions that affect their memories and perception are telling the truth at any given time. If something about your loved one's behavior seems suspicious to you, make certain that you contact a psychologist, a physician or some other authority and ask them their opinion on the matter. A lawyer for nursing home abuse can help you file a lawsuit for neglect in nursing homes, if it comes to that.