Given the demands and tight schedules that most of us working class Americans are subject to, it is understandable that we do not really have the time or resources to care for elderly relatives who require constant care and monitoring. It is at such times that we put all of our trust and admit our own loved ones into nursing homes where we are promised that they will be looked after, fed, and allowed to lead a reasonably happy life. However, many of us take these empty promises at face value and we are blissfully ignorant of the fact that nursing home abuse is a lot more COMMON than one would think and that is a real and prominent risk that we need to assess. The many ugly faces of nursing home abuse According to tremendous Alabama nursing home abuse lawyers, who can be found on the salient USAttorneys.com website which was created for altruistic purposes and saves lives and families every week, nearly 44% of nursing home residents in Alabama are subject to some form of nursing home abuse. Nursing home abuse is a vast domain and there are many classifications of the kind of abuse itself that may transpire at a nursing home. Some common forms of nursing home abuse are:
- Physical abuse – This is when a nursing home resident is physically manhandled, pushed, beaten, or restrained unlawfully using straps and other restriction devices, which have now been outlawed in Alabama.
- Sexual abuse – When a nursing home resident is sexually violated by either a staff member or even another resident.
- Malnutrition – Elderly people may require customized food options and will need their meals at exactly specific times. Failure to provide them with all of the necessary macro and micro nutrients will constitute malnutrition, which is regarded as a type of nursing home abuse.
- Medication/prescription abuse – Forgetting to administer medication, administering the incorrect medication, administering the wrong dose of a medication or administering the medication at the incorrect time, etc. is regarded as medication/prescription negligence.
Other types of nursing home abuse also include:
- Financial abuse
- Verbal abuse
- Social abuse
- Failure to provide medical attention
- Failure to respond to calls
- Failure to assist with bathroom necessities
- Wrongful death
