Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer in Hilton Head

Nursing homes can provide the illusion of care while concealing some of their more sinister practices. Some forms of abuse can be subtle and reveal themselves only after your loved one has been in the facility’s care for some time. Here are the main categories of nursing home abuse:

• Emotional: Also known as mental or psychological abuse, emotional abuse involves intentional harmful remarks or threats toward a resident that instill a sense of fear or distress. Manipulation and deceit also fall into this category.
• Physical: Physical abuse is the intentional act of causing bodily harm to a resident (e.g., assault, battery, force feeding, and overmedicating).
• Sexual: Sadly, sexual abuse does sometimes occur in nursing homes. Any undesirable sexual contact from a staff member qualifies as sexual abuse.
• Neglect: This form of abuse involves the intentional failure to care for a resident. Improper cleaning, deliberate disregard of requests, and leaving an individual alone for long periods of time all fall under this category.
• Financial: Some nursing homes take over financial responsibilities for their residents. In some cases, nursing home staff exploit this power, and cause financial harm to their residents.

Nursing home abuse often goes undetected for a long time. Understanding red flags can help you identify abuse. Look out for:

• Bruises, cuts, scratches (commonly found around the wrists and ankles)

• Bed sores
• Strong and unusual desire to leave
• Changes in behavior (social withdrawal, heightened anxiety)
• Development of venereal diseases
• Missing financial information (checkbook, credit cards, etc)
• Unexplained weight loss
• Persistent dehydration

This is not an exhaustive list. Any significant change in your loved one’s personality, habits, or appearance should be noted.

If you believe your loved one has been abused, contact Morgan & Morgan. We understand how difficult and stressful this situation can be for you and your loved one, and we’re here to help.

As the largest plaintiffs’ firm in America, we have the resources to help you achieve the best outcome in your case. Schedule a free, no risk case evaluation today and find out why there’s only one Morgan & Morgan.