Orland Park Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys

Injuries Caused by Nursing Home Neglect

Thousands of nursing home residents are injured each year in accidents. These include fall injuries, which can result in traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and other forms of bodily harm. Residents may fall when getting into or out of bed or when moving throughout a facility because they were not provided with the proper assistance. In other cases, falls may be caused by hazards in a nursing home or other safety concerns. Many nursing home fall injuries could have been prevented if the proper care and supervision had been provided. Inadequate staff training, understaffing, and a disregard for the safety and well-being of residents are all factors that contribute to falls.

Nursing home residents may be at risk of injuries due to other forms of negligence, such as:

• Dehydration from lack of fluids and malnutrition from poor diet, which can occur when staff members fail to ensure that residents are eating and drinking enough
• Errors in administering medications, including providing drugs at the wrong times, administering the wrong doses, giving one person's medications to someone else, or failing to administer medications at all
• Bedsores, which may be caused by a failure to maintain hygiene or a failure to turn or reposition bedridden patients regularly
• Infections due to unsanitary conditions in a nursing home, which can lead to serious illnesses that may threaten a person's overall health
• Depression or anxiety from excessive isolation, which can occur when staff members do not check on patients regularly and attend to their needs
• Inadequate supervision that leads to injuries when residents with dementia wander into dangerous locations or leave a nursing home altogether

When a nursing home resident exhibits signs of neglect, including unexplained injuries, deteriorating health, or illnesses caused by poor hygiene or unclean facilities, families will need to determine what steps can be taken to address these issues. At Schwartz Injury Law, we work to hold negligent nursing homes responsible for harm caused by neglect, and we help families recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages that resulted from negligent nursing home care.

Protecting Against Nursing Home Abuse

Some nursing home residents may suffer from abuse at the hands of staff members or other parties. Unlike neglect, nursing home abuse is typically intentional and malicious. It is meant to cause harm, and it may even be used to punish a resident. These acts may include:

• Punching, hitting, kicking, biting, or other forms of physical abuse, which can lead to falls, head injuries, broken bones, cuts, bruises, or other forms of serious bodily harm
• Sexual misconduct, including sexual assault committed against a nursing home resident with dementia or sexual exploitation meant to cause embarrassment and emotional harm
• Verbal abuse, such as yelling at or insulting a resident or inflicting purposeful humiliation or ridicule
• Intentional misuse of drugs or medications to keep residents sedated
• Misuse of physical restraints to keep patients confined in beds or chairs
• Aggressive mishandling of patients when moving them throughout a nursing home or assisting with hygienic needs
• Intentional isolation, cutting off residents from interacting with others and preventing them from telling people about abuse they have suffered
• Refusal to provide basic care such as showers, food, clothing, etc.
• Theft of money or property belonging to a nursing home resident
• Failure to report known or suspected abuse

The effects of abuse can be very harmful. In addition to any physical injuries, mistreatment by residents can lead to a great deal of emotional trauma that will impact a person's quality of life. Family members will need to pay attention to potential signs of abuse and make sure these issues are addressed immediately. They can take action to hold a nursing home responsible for its failure to prevent abuse or other forms of harm.