What Should You Do if You Suspect Elderly Abuse

by | Jul 24, 2015 | Personal Injury

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It’s a hard decision to leave your loved ones in the care of a nursing home. There’s a lot of trust that goes into allowing someone else to take care of the ailing elderly. It’s even more difficult to find out that they have been mistreating your loved ones, and the thought that someone is doing bad things behind your back is infuriating. What should you do when you suspect wrong-doing? If the evidence is obvious, then getting that person out of harm’s way immediately is recommended. You may want to consider finding a lawyer to file a suit against the facility for nursing home abuse in Clifton, NJ. If you allow these actions to go unaddressed, then they will just continue to happen to other families like yours.

Looking for the Signs of Abuse

There are several different things you should look for if you think that someone is doing harm to your family member. There are standard things like physical injuries and bodily harm. This is probably the most readily visible and apparent evidence of wrongdoing. There are more subtle signs you may want to look for as well. Things like a change in the person’s personality, or sometimes people become withdrawn and fearful of others. There is always verbal confirmation by your loved one, but before you do anything brash and take action into your own hands just try to confirm these worries first. The last thing anyone wants is to falsely accuse someone for something they did not do.

Why Hiring a Lawyer Helps

An attorney can not only go to court for you, but in many cases they can assist in the investigation to find out the truth. If something was done they’ll be able to guide you going forward with whatever actions you have available to you. In many circumstances, criminal actions may have occurred but aren’t provable, but making a civil claim against a nursing home might give you some of the closure you and your family need to move on. Seeking advice on a legal front is always advisable, and with the majority of lawyers giving free evaluations of cases it just makes good sense.

You don’t need to sit idly by and let abuse occur. You do have actions you can take outside of criminal charges. If you feel your loved one has been wronged, then step up and ask an attorney to help you get some closure.