If you’re like a lot of other people, there will come a time when you have to make a hard decision – whether to move your loved one into a nursing home. There are plenty of quality nursing homes in Lakeland, Florida. Sadly, all it takes is one or two bad nursing homes to ruin the reputation of the others. When someone reads an article about a resident suffering from sexual abuse at a nursing home, they assume all nursing homes are bad. This really isn’t the case. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know whether your loved one could become the victim of abuse.
When most people think about nursing home abuse, they think of physical abuse. And, that makes sense. Physical abuse and neglect are the most common types of nursing home abuse. But they’re not the only types of abuse. Some of the other ways in which a nursing home resident can be abused include:
- Financial abuse – If nursing home employees steal a resident’s personal property, it’s considered financial abuse. Common instances of this include employees who steal a person’s credit card or banking information and steal money from the resident.
- Emotional Abuse – If nurses or other staff members yell or scream at a resident, it’s considered emotional abuse. The same would be true if a staff member ignored a patient’s crying or emotional needs.
- Sexual Abuse – This could include a variety of behaviors. It could involve actual sexual abuse. However, it also includes forcing a resident to watch or listen to pornography. It could also include having sex in front of a patient. Finally, nursing home abuse lawyers in Lakeland also see residents who are sexually abused by other residents. The nursing home staff have an obligation to prevent this sort of thing.
If your loved one has been subjected to any sort of nursing home abuse in Florida, you need to call our office immediately.
How To Detect Sexual Abuse Of Your Loved One?
It can be really hard to know if your loved one is being abused in a nursing home. Depending on their medical condition, they may not be able to tell you that anything is wrong. For example, if your mom has dementia, she may not even be aware that the abuse is taking place. Or, they are confused and aren’t sure if what they experienced was real. This is why it’s important that you visit your loved one often. If you notice that anything is wrong, you have to investigate the matter.
Some of the signs that your loved one may be the victim of sexual abuse at a nursing home include:
- You notice pornographic materials in their room
- They tell you that someone has touched them in an inappropriate way
- You hear staff members speaking in an inappropriate manner
- Another resident or staff member tells you about the abuse
If you suspect any abuse at all, you need to do a few things. First, talk to the nursing home administrator. Let them know what your suspicions are. Ask to see your loved one’s chart to see if there are any notes about suspected abuse. Make sure to put your concerns in writing. The next thing you need to do is call an experienced Lakeland nursing home abuse lawyer right away.
If Your Loved One Suffered Sexual Abuse At A Nursing Home, Contact A Lawyer
If you suspect that your mom or dad is being sexually abused in their nursing home, you need help. This is the last thing you imagined would happen to them when you moved them into the nursing home. You were promised they’d be taken care of and you trusted that this would be the case. It is devastating to learn that your loved one may be the victim of any type of abuse.
If this is the case, call our Florida nursing home abuse law firm right away. Our attorneys in Lakeland, Florida can review your case and let you know what you need to do next. They’ll fight to make sure your loved one gets justice. They’ll also fight to make sure they get the compensation they deserve.
Call today and set up your free initial consultation. If your loved one isn’t able to attend the consultation, we can always conduct it by telephone. Or, if you have power of attorney for your loved one, you can meet with us on your loved one’s behalf. The consultation is free and you won’t pay a dime until your loved one’s case is resolved.
