Signs Your Loved One may be the Victim of Abuse in Bronx Nursing Home
As many as one in three nursing homes are the subject of repeated complaints of abuse and neglect, and even the best nursing homes struggle to hire and keep a sufficient number of qualified staff to meet the needs of their patients. It is also believed that the actual number of cases of abuse and neglect are far greater than the number which get reported, since many victims keep quiet out of fear or shame. I am lawyer Kevin Kohn, founder of the Kohn Law Firm, and as a life-long resident of the Bronx, I am committed to seeing that our elders and loved ones are properly cared for and neither abused nor neglected.
If you have a relative in a Bronx nursing home, keep an eye out for the following signs and symptoms of abuse or neglect. If you believe your elderly loved one is being mistreated, give me a call at 718-409-1200, or use our online contact form to schedule a no-cost, confidential consultation regarding the steps we can take to put a stop to any nursing home abuse or neglect.
Signs & Symptoms of Nursing Home Abuse
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Unexplained weight loss may be a sign that the resident is not being given enough to eat or drink through neglect, or that food is being withheld as a punishment
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Confusion or disorientation is another common symptom of malnourishment or dehydration
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Bedsores, also known as pressure sores or pressure ulcers, are a sign that an immobile patient is not being turned, moved or shifted throughout the day as required by general standards of nursing care. Left untreated, bedsores can lead to untreatable and life-threatening infections.
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Marks and bruises around the wrists or ankles indicate that physical restraints have been used on the resident. Restraints may only be used if authorized by a doctor and recorded in the patient’s medical record as necessary for the safety of the resident or others. Restraints used to punish or control behavior, or for staff convenience, are forms of abuse and neglect.
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Similar-looking bruises on both sides of the body point to the victim being grabbed and squeezed forcefully.
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Unexplained cuts or bruises, or even broken bones, may be signs of physical abuse.
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Anxiety, fear or depression may often be present in someone who has been victimized through verbal, psychological or emotional abuse.
Nursing Homes Make Excuses. Kohn Law Firm Finds the Facts.
When confronted with these signs of abuse and neglect, nursing home staff and administration may try to blame the victim, implying that physical injuries or mental impairments were caused by falls and age-related conditions and shouldn’t be attributed to abuse or neglect. I won’t let these excuses go unanswered but instead will thoroughly investigate the cause of an injury and hold nursing home staff and administration accountable when they are truly to blame.
Stop Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Now. Call the Kohn Law Firm in the Bronx.
Legal actions is often the fastest and most effective way to put a stop to nursing home abuse and neglect. Contact or call the Kohn Law Firm in the Bronx at 718-409-1200, and let me be the voice for your loved ones when they cannot speak out for themselves.