Our elderly loved ones deserve to lead a life of respect and dignity, regardless of their physical or mental state. For this reason, millions of families and individuals across the nation trust nursing homes and assisted living facilities to care for aging adults who can no longer live independently.
Sadly, these facilities, which are supposed to be well-monitored and peaceful environments for our aging loved ones, have turned out to be centers of elderly abuse and neglect. A study by the World Health Organization shows that more than 9% of staff in care facilities have admitted to abusing a resident. This is demeaning to the vulnerable residents who are often unable to defend themselves and protect their rights.
Here is where we, the Finn Law Firm, come into the picture as highly experienced nursing home abuse lawyer Chicago committed to protecting and fighting for the rights of your elderly loved ones. If you suspect abuse in a nursing home, you need to act fast and contact us for decisive legal action that will help restore the dignity of abused elderly persons.
Nursing home abuse refers to any act of negligence or intentional act that leads to the physical and mental pain or financial exploitation of nursing home residents.
The common types of nursing home abuse are:
As per the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, nursing home neglect refers to any direct or indirect action that leads to inadequate medical treatment, mental health care, rehabilitation, personal care, or overall well-being of a nursing home resident. This is a major concern in most nursing facilities as it covers a wide range of issues, including:
Negligence in elderly care facilities can result in, among others, bed sores, malnutrition & dehydration, ulcers, and depression for victims.
Physical abuse in nursing homes covers any act that leads to physical injuries to the victim. These acts can take many forms, including hitting, kicking, or pinching residents, use of physical or chemical restraints, and getting pushed or shoved,
This type of elder abuse can manifest as:
Psychological or emotional abuse in nursing homes covers all kinds of non-physical abuse or neglect that impact the mental state of elderly residents. These kinds of abuse can easily go undetected unless you are extra keen and constantly pay attention to the behavior of your elderly loved one.
Often, this abuse includes acts of verbal abuse such as yelling, insulting, screaming, or abusing the victim. It also covers acts of intimidating, upsetting, and embarrassing a resident.
Common signs of mental abuse include:
Elderly adults experiencing nursing home neglect and abuse also tend to suffer from sexual abuse. This covers all direct and indirect acts that are sexual or inappropriate to a resident’s body. These acts include nonconsensual sex, forced nudity, exposure to pornographic materials, and improper touching of the victim.
This type of nursing home abuse can manifest as:
Nursing home residents also suffer from financial exploitation, where their caregivers or staff members take advantage of the victim’s finances or assets. These nursing home abuse cases are becoming quite common and include coercion to give up property or assets, fund withdrawals from the victim’s accounts, fraudulent checks, and theft of valuables.
Each year, thousands of complaints are filed against Illinois nursing homes, yet this still doesn’t represent the full extent of elder abuse across the state. This is because most victims of nursing home abuse and their loved ones never speak up or feel too hopeless as they don’t know who to turn to.
Unfortunately, the silence of the majority has only led to more severe cases of nursing home abuse, placing our aging adults in unpleasant situations and great danger. At the Finn Law Firm, our nursing home abuse attorneys are invested in ensuring this is not the case for your loved ones and that the nursing home facilities and individual wrongdoers are held accountable for their actions or inaction and consequential harm caused.
If you suspect nursing home abuse, we highly recommend that you take action as fast as possible by doing the following:
A nursing home resident who has suffered abuse or neglect, like any other victim, is unlikely to come forward and tell you about what they are undergoing. It is, therefore, important that you have a high level of awareness and ensure that when discussing the suspected abuse or neglect, the victim is in a safe and private space.
If you notice fear or feelings of shame, this indicates something is wrong, and you need to reassure your loved one that speaking up will be for his or her own good.
As a family member, it is best that you handle cases of suspected nursing home abuse swiftly, and a top priority should be getting your loved one from the abusive situation. This is extremely important for the safety of the elderly person who is likely in need of proper medical care and adequate attention.
Chicago area nursing homes will do anything possible to protect their staff and reputation. However, this should not blind you from a crucial part of building a strong nursing home abuse claim: gathering evidence to support your case. Pieces of evidence that you can collect include bloodied or torn clothing, damaged personal items, medical records, pictures of the marks or injuries the victim sustained, security footage, statements from other residents and witnesses, financial records, and notes from your interactions with the staff.
Reporting nursing home abuse is very important as it is a huge step to protecting your loved one and ensuring wrongdoers face the law. It also helps bring to light cases of Chicago, IL nursing home abuse so that better and stricter guidelines are enforced by nursing homes.
A Chicago nursing home abuse case should be reported to several entities, and these are:
No elderly person should ever face abuse or neglect when in a Chicago nursing home, and at the Finn Law Firm, we have a compassionate and dedicated nursing home abuse lawyer Chicago who is ready to fight hard for you and your elderly loved ones. Our priority is justice and ensuring that your rights are always fully protected. The best part is that we have an outstanding record of getting favorable results when handling nursing home abuse lawsuits.
Contact us today for a free consultation on your case.