It is important to provide reasonable care and comfort to elderly people as they are not able to do everything on their own. After a certain age, once you get old, you no longer will be able to make rational decisions and for such people, nursing homes must provide extra care and treatment.
The quality of care and facilities have decreased in nursing homes over the past few years. There have been several cases of abuse, neglect, and misbehaving with elderly people in these institutions. This article illustrates the measures to be taken in case of abuse or neglect in a nursing home.
Steps to be taken if you witness abuse in a nursing home
1. Be patient and look into the matter
If you see abuse in a nursing home with your loved ones or with anyone else, you might want to act patiently and look into the matter first. It’s important to keep your temper in control and get into the actual cause of this kind of behaviour.
Talk to other elderly people and ensure that they are being abused regularly. Do a brief investigation if you see any signs of neglect or mistreatment, and figure out the reason for such behaviour.
You might want to ask them how many reports of abuse there were last year, and whether or not any action was taken against the facility. If the situation can be handled in a reasonable manner then find a solution and ensure that it doesn’t happen again and elderly people are treated properly.
If you live in Atlanta and are looking forward to seeking help in case of abuse or neglect in a nursing home, then visit Butler Law to hire a nursing home lawyer who has experience in dealing with personal injury and abuse to elderly people. Book an appointment to get a free consultation today.
2. Talk to the manager
The next step you might want to do is talk with the manager if you see any kind of abuse in a nursing home. Ask for an explanation for prevailing this kind of incident under their management. If there are a few staff who are encouraging this kind of behaviour then try to talk to make a complaint against them and make sure they don’t repeat causing trouble to the elderly people.
There are often staff who misbehave or abuse senior citizens if they fail to follow certain instructions which are quite normal for people at that age. This does not give them the right to abuse older people staying there. Even after complaining to the manager, if the problem is not solved then you can take the matter legally and report it to the police.
3. Hire an attorney
If the management fails to control their staff or take action against them, and if your loved ones are mistreated even after reporting it to the manager then it’s time to hire a lawyer and file a legal complaint against the nursing home. Wait until you have enough information to take this matter to the court.
Also, when you take things legally, ensure that you have already gathered some substantial proof against the staff who are causing this situation. Work with your lawyer and speak to other people in the nursing home privately.
Make sure they are willing to testify against the management. Moreover, when hiring a lawyer ensure that they have prior experience in dealing with similar cases that involves abuse and neglect in nursing homes.
4. Contact the local police station
Whenever you find abuse or mistreatment in a nursing home with your loved ones, you can simply report the incident to the nearest police department and wait for legal steps to be taken against the management. The law enforcement officials will investigate the situation and will make sure the staff and management involved in this are punished by the law.
After your complaint, they will dispatch a team who will speak with the elderly people and gather more information to evaluate the complexity of the matter. Also, make sure you don’t alert the staff or management about your complaint or else they will try to cover up the situation before any legal steps have been taken.
If you are too serious about this incident and seek immediate justice, then you can take this incident to the federal agencies that govern the nursing homes in your state. You can report everything you saw and how older people are treated by the staff and management. Abusing or harassment with elderly people in nursing homes can lead to criminal offences and charges.
5. Change the nursing home
If you don’t want the matter to escalate legally or want any police interference then you can move your loved ones to a different nursing home where they will be treated properly and with respect. Many people often find this solution appropriate but don’t have time to get involved with legal matters with the police.
But being a close relative or family member, it’s not right to sit quietly and ignore everything. It’s important to take necessary action against injustice and crime. Shifting your loved ones to somewhere else won’t solve the problem. The same will happen with someone else and will continue until someone takes any legal action.
The Bottom-line
Reporting abuse isn’t just about getting someone fired or punished for their actions, it’s also about protecting other residents from being harmed as well. Depending on where you live, and where the nursing home is located, there may be additional resources available like advocacy groups or legal services agencies that can assist with navigating these types of situations.
But first, try to handle things with patience and investigate the matter before seeking legal help. It’s your responsibility to ensure that justice is served to your loved ones and they are taken care of properly. These were some measures that you can take if you see abuse or mistreatment in a nursing home.
