Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Nursing home abuse and neglect in Homestead and other communities can go undetected for years. Unfortunately, this can have terrible consequences as those who are affected by neglect and abuse can become ill, can suffer injuries, or can even pass away due to the abuse and neglect they suffer.
Nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, and other care facilities are supposed to be monitored by agencies and are answerable to governing bodies to ensure residents stay safe. How is it possible, then, that neglect and abuse are allowed to happen in Homestead and other communities?
There are many reasons why neglect and abuse can go undetected in nursing homes in southern Florida:
- Residents are vulnerable. In many cases, residents of nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, retirement homes, and other facilities may be ill and unable to communicate adequately about abuse or neglect. They may not have friends and family who visit often enough to notice signs of abuse and neglect. These factors can make abuse and neglect easier to overlook.
- Abusers can take steps to keep their abuse or neglect hidden. In many cases, abusers will cover their tracks. For example, someone who’s taking financial advantage of residents of a nursing home facility may be getting residents to sign over property gradually, ensuring no one is alerted of the changes. In other cases, bruises or other signs of physical abuse may be brushed off as a fall or a simple accident. Long sleeves can also cover injuries.
- Family and friends may not be aware of the signs of abuse or neglect. Any unexplained financial changes, weight loss, poor grooming, infections, injuries, or medical complications should be investigated thoroughly. All can be signs of abuse or neglect.
- The signs of abuse and neglect can be subtle. It can be easy to not notice the signs that something is wrong. Some forms of abuse – such as sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or financial abuse – leave few obvious physical signs. Any time something seems “not quite right” it is important to look into the issue carefully.
- Residents may be embarrassed to talk about what they have suffered. Even though survivors of abuse and neglect should not be ashamed, sometimes they are. In other cases, they develop a rapport with their abusers and don’t want to report the abuse. Sometimes, residents have dementia or other conditions which make them less likely to report conditions of abuse and neglect because they may not understand them fully. In some cases, survivors of abuse and neglect are afraid of what will happen if they report their injuries or abuse or may worry that no one would believe them. Unfortunately, sometimes abusers prey on these fears or threaten residents to keep them quiet.
If someone you love has been abused in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or any facility, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free, no obligation consultation. Our compassionate attorneys can help you understand what options you have and what steps you can take to protect your loved one.