Nursing home abuse is a tragedy that is played out all too often at nursing homes and assisted living facilities here in Kent and in other areas of Washington. Fortunately for nursing home abuse victims and their family members, there are state and federal protections in place for elderly victims including several avenues for reporting abuse and legal remedies to compensate victims for their suffering. Contact a Kent nursing home abuse attorney with Russell & Hill, PLLC to discuss the facts and your suspicions related to prior or ongoing nursing home abuse.
What is nursing home abuse?
Nursing home abuse can occur in a number of ways and is not always immediately evident, especially when the victim is unable or afraid to speak out about the abuse he or she has endured.See below for common elderly resident abuse scenarios.
- Physical abuse occurs when nursing home employees or caregivers physically assault residents. Evidence of the assault is often blamed on falls.
- Medical negligence occurs when patients suffer injuries from either not receiving necessary medical care or receiving medical care that is inadequate.
- Emotional abuse may include humiliating, intimidating, or otherwise emotionally harming nursing home residents.
- Sexual abuse is one of the grossest displays of abuse that our vulnerable nursing home residents may suffer. Residents often do not have the physical or mental capabilities to stop or report the sexual abuse.
- Financial abuse is not uncommon when another resident, employee, or caregiver either coerces a resident into financially providing for him or her or takes control of a resident’s finances.
- Neglect occurs when residents are ignored and confined to a room or bed for long periods of time, forced to live in unsanitary conditions, or basic needs are otherwise not met and the patient is forced to endure isolation and loneliness.
Nursing home conditions that contribute to abusive environments
We frequently see specific patterned conditions and environments that lead to and permit abuse in nursing homes including the following:
- Inadequate supervision and security to keep residents from harming other residents.
- Not enough staff and/or underpaid staff.
- Poorly trained staff related to proper care, neglect, and medical needs for nursing home residents.
- Poor procedures and standard of care expectations.
- Facilities that permit aggressive behavior often leads to abusive environments.
- Environments devoid of care and respect for residents and their well being.
- Unenforced or lack of reporting procedures to protect residents.
If you recognize any of the above conditions and believe that you or a loved one has been a victim of abuse, contact our Kent nursing home abuse attorneys to help you report the abuse and seek compensation. Damages and injuries may include medical bills, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and financial losses resulting from nursing home abuse and neglect. Our elder abuse attorneys at Russell & Hill, PLLC will conduct an investigation to gather facts and evidence related to any past or ongoing abuse and then take appropriate steps to see that victims and their families are fully and fairly compensated for their injuries and damages.
