Elder Abuse

With age and increasing medical needs, some seniors require more care with everyday activities, and that care can happen at home with family or paid caregivers offering support. It can also take place in nursing homes and other facilities. Choosing the right environment and support for an elderly loved one is challenging for any family. It becomes even more challenging because, unfortunately, families also need to consider ways to protect loved ones from nursing home and elder abuse.

If you or a family member have been injured by nursing home and elder abuse in Hollywood, Homestead, or any South Florida community, contact Flaxman Law Group. We’re a family-based law firm, with a father-son attorney team, so we understand the importance of protecting family members. We’re pleased to offer a free consultation with a Florida injury attorney if you’ve been injured, so you can discuss your situation with a lawyer.

Nursing home abuse and elder abuse in Hollywood and across Florida can take many forms:

• Neglect. When nursing homes are understaffed or caregivers do not take adequate care of seniors in their care, seniors may not get the physical care and emotional stimulation they need to stay healthy. In these cases, seniors can develop bed sores from not being turned often enough or may even experience malnutrition and dehydration if they’re not given enough food and water.
• Poor hygiene and medical practices. Nursing homes and caregivers are expected to help seniors groom and bathe. They should also provide adequate medical care and have policies in place to keep vulnerable seniors away from anyone who might be contagious. For example, nursing homes must have policies in place for when an outbreak of a flu or other communicable disease happens.
• Lack of facility maintenance. Nursing homes must provide well-maintained premises, including good lighting and adequate accessibility features to reduce the risk of slip and falls. There should be adequate heating and cooling systems. Cleanliness must be enforced to prevent bed bugs and skin irritation caused by poor sanitation.
• Overmedication. One form of abuse that can happen occurs when seniors are given larger doses of medication to encourage them to sleep or stay quiet.
• Understaffing and lack of supervision. A fundamental role of nursing homes and at-home caregivers is to offer adequate supervision. When this doesn’t happen, seniors can fall and sustain serious injuries. They can also wander and get lost outdoors.

In any care environment, even when a senior is being taken care of at home, caregivers can be abusive. Seniors can suffer from many types of abuse:

• Physical abuse. This can include any form of physical harm, such as hitting or punching. Physical abuse can lead to contusions, broken bones, head injuries, and other serious injuries.
• Emotional abuse. This can include shouting at a senior, calling them names, or humiliating them. It can lead to depression, withdrawal, and serious metal health conditions.
• Financial abuse. This can include forcing seniors to sign over their assets or stealing money or valuables from them. Financial abuse can leave seniors without the means to care for themselves.
• Sexual abuse. For seniors, sexual abuse and assault can lead to severe mental distress, physical injuries (including broken bones), and exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

If you are a senior who has experienced abuse or are a concerned family member who suspects nursing home and elder abuse, it’s important to act fast. The longer abuse continues, the more likely it is to escalate and potentially cause serious injury.

You can contact police for help, because nursing home and elder abuse is a crime in Florida. You may also want to contact Flaxman Law Group. We can arrange a free consultation with a Florida injury attorney, so you can discuss any possible compensation you can seek for the injuries. In your situation, compensation can help pay for medical care and for better care. Contact Flaxman Law Group at 866-352-9626 or by reaching out online to start the conversation.