Cambridge Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Seniors deserve to feel safe and well taken care of during their time in nursing homes. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is a growing trend. There are several types of abuse that may be suffered by residents of a nursing home.
Victims of nursing home abuse can face physical pain, emotional trauma, and financial hardship. Therefore, victims of nursing home abuse may seek compensation through civil lawsuits. A nursing home abuse lawyer can help guide victims on their road to recovery.
If you suffered nursing home abuse in Cambridge, get help recovering the financial compensation you deserve. Contact our experienced Cambridge nursing home abuse lawyers by calling the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 for a free case review.
Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse That Occur in Cambridge
Nursing home abuse can come in many forms and be committed by multiple different parties. All victims of nursing home abuse may pursue compensation, no matter the type of abuse suffered. The following are common types of nursing home abuse that occur in Cambridge:
Physical Abuse
Additionally, nursing home residents in Cambridge may suffer a form of physical abuse. Physical abuse refers to abuse that causes bodily injuries. In a 2020 study, the World Health Organization reported that over 9% of nursing home staff members confessed to physically abusing residents.
Physical abuse can come in many forms. In some cases, nursing home residents were punched, kicked, or shoved. In other cases, victims were restrained with straps or ties. Common indicators of physical abuse are bruises, cuts, and broken bones.
Physical abuse can happen to anyone. However, those with mental disorders may be at a higher risk of suffering physical abuse. Fortunately, those who suffer physical abuse in nursing homes may be entitled to monetary damages. Our Cambridge nursing home abuse and injury lawyers can help victims understand the full range of legal options available to them.
Sexual Abuse
Lastly, sexual abuse is a common type of abuse that occurs in Cambridge nursing homes. Sexual abuse describes any type of undesired sexual contact, groping, or touching. This type of abuse if regularly committed against residents who are disabled and unable to give consent.
Sexual abuse in nursing homes can lead to physical harm. In some cases, such abuse may lead to emotional trauma. Our Cambridge nursing home abuse and injury lawyers can help obtain monetary damages for victims of sexual abuse.
Financial Abuse
Financial abuse occurs in nursing homes when someone steals from a resident or manipulates them to take their money. The following are examples of financial abuse that occurs in nursing homes:
- Taking a resident’s cash, valuables, or credit cards
- Taking a resident’s financial records
- Abusing power of attorney to change a resident’s will
- Keeping a resident from accessing their own bank account
Financial abuse can cause residents to incur extensive damages. Our Cambridge nursing home abuse lawyers can help victims of financial abuse recover compensation.
Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect is another common type of abuse that occurs in nursing homes. Nursing home neglect describes instances where staff members fail to provide proper medical care to residents. Senior citizens can suffer serious injuries as a result of nursing home neglect.
One type of nursing home neglect involves medication errors. Residents often rely on staff members to receive their required medications. When staff members commit errors when administering medications to residents, severe harm can occur.
Additionally, staff members at nursing homes are required to maintain residents’ personal hygiene by helping to wash them and change their clothes. Those who are left to wear dirty and soiled clothes can develop health problems.
Lastly, nursing home neglect also comes in the form of dehydration and malnutrition. In some cases, nursing home staff fail to provide enough food or water to residents. Residents who experienced dehydration and malnutrition may become sick.
There are many other potential examples of nursing home neglect. Our Cambridge nursing home abuse and injury lawyers can offer guidance and support to those who have suffered nursing home neglect.
Emotional Abuse
Furthermore, emotional abuse is another type of abuse that is common in nursing homes. Emotional abuse can occur when nursing home staff makes threats or insults residents. Examples of emotional abuse in nursing homes include the following:
- Keeping residents from seeing their friends, family, or other residents
- Manipulating a resident’s activities against their will
- Offending a resident’s looks or intelligence
- Threatening residents
Victims of emotional abuse in nursing homes can develop severe mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Our Cambridge nursing home abuse and injury lawyers can help those with mental health injuries seek proper medical treatment.
Abandonment
Abandonment is also common type of abuse that occurs in Cambridge nursing homes. Abandonment occurs when nursing home staff leave an older person alone to fend for themselves. Many nursing home residents require assistance from a caregiver. When caregivers abandon their patients, devastating harm can occur.
Victims of abandonment in nursing homes may begin to show signs of self-neglect. Self-neglect occurs when someone cannot take care of themselves, resulting in health issues. If a nursing home resident begins showing signs of self-neglect, nursing home staff may be responsible. Our Cambridge nursing home abuse and injury lawyers can help determine if nursing home staff is responsible for a senior’s self-neglect.
Investigating Nursing Home Abuse in Cambridge
If you or a loved one has suffered nursing home abuse, it is important to begin an investigation right away. After abuse occurs, nursing homes may attempt to obstruct your investigation by reassigning staff involved with a patient’s care. Furthermore, important documents may become lost and relevant evidence may be moved off-site.
Therefore, victims of nursing home abuse should contact our Cambridge nursing home abuse and injury lawyers as soon as possible after an incident. Our team can begin investigating your case after a free case review.
If You or a Loved One Suffered Nursing Home Abuse in Cambridge, Our Lawyers Can Help
If you suffered nursing home abuse in Cambridge, seek assistance from our experienced Cambridge nursing home abuse lawyers by calling the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 for a free case review.
