Nursing Home Abuse: A Tragedy That Should Not Go Unpunished

By Author: Peeter Wattson
Total Articles: 3
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Watching our loved ones, such as our uncles, aunts, grandparents, and parents, grow old can have its own set of stresses to deal with. However, when we place them in a nursing home, we trust the nursing home to look after them in a humane, caring, and professional environment. Unfortunately, that may not always be the case.

Although most nursing homes certainly do their jobs admirably, many unfortunately do not. Indeed, studies in the past few years have found that nursing home abuse may be on the rise. In 2008, the US Department of Health and Human Services released a report showing that more than 90 percent of all nursing homes had been cited for violations of federal health and safety standards in 2007. That included 94 percent of for-profit nursing homes and 88 percent of non-profit nursing homes.

In all, inspectors with the US Department of Health and Human Services received 37,150 complaints about possible elder abuse in 2007. While some of these complaints were relatively benign, many involved elderly residents suffering from infected bedsores, poor nutrition, and medicine mix-ups. Tragically, this may mean ...
... that a loved one who is currently living in a nursing home may be the victim of elder abuse.

The signs of elder abuse are not always readily apparent. Moreover, the signs may take a while to develop. However, common signs of abuse or neglect are bedsores, broken bones or bruises of unknown origin, respiratory illnesses, and malnutrition. Also, the signs of elder abuse need not always be physical. Elder abuse can also include damage to property.

Unfortunately, it may sometimes be difficult to determine whether a malady that an elderly resident is suffering from is due to abuse or simply old age. In distinguishing between the two, the assistance of a Florida nursing home lawyer can help you with spotting the signs of abuse and with preparing the grounds for a lawsuit against the nursing home. In fact, a qualified Florida nursing home attorney can often help with putting an end to the tragic abuse.

If you believe that you or a loved one in the Tampa area is the victim of nursing home abuse, it may well be beneficial to meet with a Tampa Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer. An attorney can help you with determining whether someone is the victim of neglect and/or abuse, and if so, with assessing the liability of the nursing home. While no amount of monetary compensation will be able to amend the emotional toll that the abuse has taken, it can nonetheless provide the means to find better care. Monetary compensation can also help with obtaining the finances needed to treat the medical maladies caused by nursing home abuse.

Nursing home abuse is a tragedy, but it is not a tragedy that should go forgotten. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions, and those victimized must receive compensation for their injuries. If you or a loved one has suffered from complications in nursing home care, an attorney can help your family fight back against the grave injustice.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of elder abuse, contact a Tampa Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer.