Denver Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

Nursing home abuse and neglect can come in various forms. Being able to recognize the signs of different types of abuse and neglect is important.

• Physical abuse. Physical abuse is the most blatant type of nursing home abuse and the easiest for a third party to identify. Physical abuse refers to hitting, kicking, biting, punching, pinching, improperly restraining, burning, or otherwise using physical force to control, intimidate, threaten, or cause harm to a resident. Physical abuse can also include intentionally depriving a resident of food or drink or even abusing the resident’s medication by refusing medication or using medication to control the resident (i.e. overly sedating a resident).
• Sexual abuse. Sexual abuse of a nursing home resident is a heinous act, but one that happens nonetheless. This type of abuse involves any unwanted, non-consensual sexual contact between a nursing home resident and a nursing home staff member. You may be able to recognize sexual abuse by both the physical and psychological symptoms that result, including bruising, torn clothing, bleeding or bloodied undergarments, the appearance of sexually-transmitted infection, withdrawal, anger, and other emotional changes.
• Emotional/psychological abuse. Not all types of abuse are physical; emotional or psychological abuse is extremely common in nursing homes. This type of abuse involves using tactics such as harassing or bullying the nursing home resident, refusing to allow the resident to participate in social activities, teasing the resident, refusing to provide the resident with any social stimulation, refusing to let the resident spend time with family and loved ones who come to visit, or otherwise using speech or actions to intimidate or threaten the resident. While emotional and psychological abuse may appear to be less acutely dangerous to a resident’s health and wellbeing than is sexual or physical abuse, emotional abuse can have multiple physical consequences; the brain and the body are strongly linked.
• Financial exploitation. Understanding that elderly persons within a nursing home are often vulnerable and easier to manipulate as such, some nursing home employees will view working with nursing home residents as an opportunity to acquire financial gain and will engage in financial exploitation of residents. Financial exploitation of a nursing home resident could mean convincing a nursing home patient to open a new credit card, change a will or estate planning document, make a large cash withdrawal, take out a new loan, and more. It may also mean directly stealing from the nursing home resident. As the loved one of someone who is within a nursing home, you should keep your eyes out for any major changes to your loved one’s financial picture.
• Neglect. Neglect is a type of nursing home negligence and malpractice that is less obvious than abuse. Abuse is intentional; the abusive caretaker intends to hurt, harm, intimidate, threaten, or manipulate the elderly person. Neglect, on the other hand, is often unintentional and may be the result of understaffing and a poor patient-to-staff ratio. Acts of neglect might include failing to bathe a patient or otherwise assist with personal hygiene, leaving a patient unattended in their bed for hours at a time, failing to ensure that a resident is receiving proper nutrition/hydration, a lack of proper or appropriate medical care, failing to assist a patient with walking and mobility, and more. Deterioration of health, poor hygiene, bedsores, unexplained injuries, and weight loss are all signs of potential nursing home neglect.