Signs of Nursing Home Abuse

Klemick and Gampel is an injury law firm based in Miami, Florida. The focus of our practice is to help those who have been injured due to the negligence, malice or incompetence of others. One major part of our practice is helping those who have been injured due to poor treatment at eldercare or nursing home facilities. If your loved ones have been abused or mistreated at their eldercare facilities, contact Klemick and Gampel for a free legal consultation today.

Florida has long been a popular place for retirement. With its year-round warm climate, it is no wonder that so many Americans choose this as the area where they want to retire.

As a result, Florida in general and Miami in particular has more than its fair share of nursing homes and elder care facilities. But a large amount of nursing homes doesn’t necessarily mean a high level of quality care for the elderly. In fact, a great many nursing homes and eldercare facilities are overcrowded and understaffed, with several workers who have no real experience or expertise in caring for the elderly.

Deciding to place your loved ones in a home or facility can be a difficult experience for anyone, but most of us do it because we are unable to give our older loved ones the care that they need. We put our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles in nursing homes and eldercare facilities with the expectation that they will be given they will be given all the care and respect that they need and deserve. We do not expect them to be abused physically or mentally, or to have their needs neglected.

To their credit, most nursing homes and eldercare facilities are well run operations, staffed with professionals and well equipped to handle every necessity and eventuality. But there are some very sad exceptions to these standards.

As attorneys that have helped many victims of nursing home abuse and neglect, we are able to point out some of the signs of abuse or neglect that you should look out for if you happen to have a loved one in a nursing home or eldercare center.

• Bedsores: These can be construed as a basic sign of neglect, especially if the patient is immobile. Bedsores or pressure sores mean that the patient is not being rotated or attended to.
• Depression or other behavioral changes: If your loved one had a sunny disposition or a cheerful personality prior to entering the nursing home, but is acting sullen, withdrawn or depressed, it could be a sign of poor treatment or neglect on the part of the nursing home staff.
• Use of Restraints: There are times when the use of restraints is justified in some nursing home patients. Those with Alzheimer’s or other disorders can sometimes wander. But restraints should never be used as punishment.
• Bruising, Sores, Fractures: Falls are an unfortunate part of getting older, and bruises and bumps are not uncommon. But frequent bruises and sores can be a sign that something else is going on.
• Weight Loss, Malnutrition: While weight loss is often associated with illness, a sudden loss of weight can be a sign of neglect, or even a sign of withholding food as punishment.

It is important to understand that while your loved one is in a care facility, quite literally every aspect of their lives is under the control of the staff. This means that they might be unable or unwilling to speak out about their treatment due to fear of reprisals towards them or their friends at the home.

Getting to the bottom of a possible case of mistreatment at a nursing home or eldercare facility requires a thorough investigation. Many facilities are unwilling to allow the transparency required to prove that there was some malfeasance involved. At Klemick and Gampel, we have years of experience in helping people in the Miami area determine whether or not there was a case of mistreatment or abuse involving their loved ones. If we find that your loved ones have been mistreated, we take immediate and decisive legal action.

A nursing home or eldercare facility is meant to be a place where your loved ones will be safe, secure, and well cared for. If the facility is not living up to its obligations, then you have every right to a refund of the money that you spent on the care or your loved ones, as well as compensation for the trauma, pain and suffering that your loved ones went through.

Contact Miami Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys for Klemick and Gampel for a free legal consultation today.