Effingham Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

How Often Are Illinois Long-Term Care Facility Residents Abused?

A report published by the Department of Health and Human Services, a federal agency, in 2017 detailed how Illinois topped the list for reported cases of nursing home abuse, with 17 reported incidents. Many other states just had one confirmed case.

While the above amount may seem relatively small, a previously published Innovation in Aging journal study outlined how, while as many as 10% of Americans age 61 and over fall victim to elder abuse annually, only one in 24 of those end up being reported. Thus, in taking into account the confirmed reports of nursing home abuse discussed above, it’s likely that the actual number of victims was far more staggering than was documented in that report.

Types of Abuse That Occurs in Effingham Nursing Homes

In our experience having handled countless nursing home abuse cases over the years at Prince Law Firm, we’ve found the following types of mistreatment in these assisted living facilities are most common:

• Physical abuse: Hitting, kicking, slapping, pinching, grabbing, and any other type of violent person-on-person contact may fit into this category of abusive treatment. The use of physical restraints may also constitute this type of abuse.
• Emotional abuse: Any treatment that has the potential of being psychologically damaging may qualify as this type of abuse. Some examples of this include screaming at or belittling residents.
• Sexual abuse: This category includes any non-consensual sexual activity, including inappropriate touching and making sexually suggestive comments to or performing sex acts on someone.
• Neglect: Failing to respond to a resident’s calls for aid, take care of a nursing home resident’s basic personal hygiene, feed them nutritious meals and ensure they’re properly hydrated, or keeping them isolated from friends and family (and facility staff) may all qualify as neglect.
• Financial exploitation: Coercing a resident into adding one onto a bank account or will or into turning over a debit card, blank check, or any other sensitive personal information could qualify as financial abuse, especially if those actions then lead to someone that shouldn’t have gaining access to funds or assets that weren’t intended for them.

Signs That Indicate a Resident at an Assisted Living Facility Has Been Abused

Now that you’re aware of what qualifies as abuse, let’s discuss indicators to be on the lookout for that may be signs that your loved one isn’t being well taken care of or is mistreated. Those include if your loved one:

• Has unexplained bruises, broken bones, or cuts
• Seems depressed and has become increasingly socially withdrawn
• Develops bedsores
• Suddenly appears underweight (without justification)
• Experiences the onset of new, questionable illnesses (like sexually transmitted diseases)
• Starts declining visitors (or reportedly has done so)

The list above certainly isn’t comprehensive, but it gives you an idea of some of the changes you may notice in your family member that may indicate a change has occurred in their world.

Whether you can clearly define what has happened to your loved one as one of the types of treatment described above or not, consider speaking to someone like our Effingham nursing home abuse lawyer about it.

Understanding Who Abuses Nursing Home Residents

While direct caregivers are often responsible for resident’s abuse, neglect, and exploitation, there are countless others that commit these wrongful acts as well, including:

• Facility administrators
• Building maintenance or janitorial staff members
• Kitchen or dining room staff
• Program coordinators
• Transportation workers
• Outside vendors like electricians, plumbers, or package delivery persons
• Visiting doctors, physical therapists, and respiratory techs
• Other residents or their family members

The list above represents just some of the many different individuals that our nursing home abuse lawyers in Effingham have filed lawsuits against for abusing residents at assisted living facilities. So, no matter who you believe hurt or harmed your relative, it’s likely that we can help you hold them accountable, too.

What To Do If You Suspect Someone Is Hurting Your Loved One?

If you suspect that your relative is being abused or neglected, your first inclination may be to speak to their caregiver or nursing home administrator. You may want to consider otherwise, though. While it’s certainly okay to ask some probing questions to get a sense of what happened to the resident, if you press too far, it’s possible that they could cover up any evidence of mistreatment that indeed occurred.

The same goes if you go and report your suspicions to a government agency, especially if that triggers an immediate investigation into your claims.

Of course, if you fear that your loved one’s life is on the line, you’ll want to call 911 to have the police and paramedics come to the scene to get your loved one to safety right away. Your next call should be to an Effingham nursing home abuse lawyer like ours.

What To Expect When Working With a Effingham Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

We know time is of the essence in abuse cases like these, so when you reach out to us, you can rest assured that we’ll launch an immediate investigation into whether or not the wrongdoing occurred and by whom.

If we feel that you have a viable case, we’ll gather any other evidence aside from what you’ve already compiled that may assist us in building a strong claim. In the meantime, we’ll ensure your loved one is moved to a safer environment, if necessary.

You can count on us to take care of discussions with facility administration, insurers, government agencies, the Court, and anyone else necessary to ensure the resident’s safety and rights are protected, including compensation for current and future losses.

Let Prince Law Firm Help You Protect Your Rights

It can be heartbreaking to find out that someone has not been treating your family member well. You don’t have to accept that fact and move on without the perpetrators being punished, though.

At Prince Law Firm, we have experience holding those responsible for abusing nursing home residents liable for their actions, and we want to help you do the same. Give us a call or contact us online to discuss your legal options with an Effingham nursing home abuse lawyer. It doesn’t cost you anything to understand your rights.