Nursing home abuse is particularly disturbing because its victims are some of the most vulnerable people in our society. For the same reason, abuse of nursing home residents with dementia is especially disturbing, yet it happens far too often.
A nursing home’s job is to protect its residents. When nursing homes don’t do their jobs, dementia patients often become targets. Our Alabama law firm is honored to stand up for victims and their families. Here's what you should know.
What is nursing home abuse?
Nursing home abuse is an umbrella term for harm directed at nursing home residents. There are several categories of abuse:
- Physical abuse: hitting, slapping, shoving, kicking, using inappropriate restraints, and other forms of abuse that involve physical harm.
- Mental and emotional abuse: belittling, isolating, harassing, threatening, or humiliating residents.
- Sexual abuse: any non-consensual sexual contact, including rape and sexual assault.
Nursing home abuse can be committed by staff members, other residents, or even visitors to a nursing facility. But whether the abuser works for the nursing home or not, it’s still the facility’s responsibility to maintain a safe environment and protect its residents.
Why dementia patients are vulnerable to abuse
All nursing home residents are vulnerable to elder abuse, but those with dementia are particularly likely to be targeted. In part, that’s because dementia patients tend to require more intensive care and have more significant behavioral challenges than other residents, including sundowning—a pattern of heightened activity beginning at dusk.
Nursing home staff may engage in abusive behaviors in an (unethical and inappropriate) attempt to control residents’ behavior. For example, staff may be more likely to use inappropriate restraints on dementia patients who are prone to wandering.
The cognitive effects of dementia also make residents much more vulnerable to abuse because abusers simply think they won’t be caught. They may believe that the resident won’t be able to remember the abuse because of their impaired memory or won’t be able to explain what happened because of their cognitive difficulties.
Furthermore, an abuser may think that even if a dementia patient does report abuse, they won’t be believed; after all, people with dementia frequently become confused or paranoid and may even experience hallucinations.
What to do if your loved one was abused in a facility
Abuse of any nursing home resident demands strong legal action, and that’s doubly true for residents with dementia. It’s important to report the abuse to the nursing home so that they’re on notice, and it’s also important to file a report with the appropriate state agency.
But remember, none of those agencies are on your side; their job is to deal with the facilities, not to represent the interests of victims and their families. That’s where we come in.
Our law firm has extensive experience handling nursing home abuse claims in Birmingham and throughout Alabama. Investigating abuse when the victim has dementia can be especially challenging, but we are adept at interviewing witnesses, cross-referencing records, and getting to the bottom of what happened.
We will explain your legal rights and options and vigorously represent you throughout the legal process. Give us a call or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation with Shuttlesworth Law Firm, P.C.
"I felt 100% comfortable from our first meeting to the very end of our trial. He truly cares, and it shows! Me and my family will forever be grateful for Perry and his staff!" – Clay C., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
