Tips from Ohio Area Agency on Aging to Identify Nursing Home Abuse
By Barry Zimmer on May 23rd, 2017 in Elder Law
An Ohio nursing home planning lawyer helps you to do research into different nursing home care options in your area so you can find a home that has a good reputation. Elder abuse has become a major problem and a significant number of elderly people fall victim to abuse every year. While there are statistics estimating the extent of abuse, unfortunately many cases of abuse go unreported so it is difficult to know just how widespread the issue of elder abuse is.
Finding the right nursing home is no guarantee that abuse and neglect will never occur. Still, if you do research in advance of the time when you need care, with the help of Zimmer Law Firm, you can look for a facility that has a good reputation. You can also ensure that you’ve made plans to be able to pay for the costs of receiving care in a high-quality nursing home with a good reputation. Call Zimmer Law Firm today to talk with a lawyer to find out more about the assistance that our legal team can provide to you.
Recognizing Signs of Elder Abuse in a Nursing Home
Although seniors can reduce the chances of elder abuse by carefully researching options for nursing home care, the fact is that abuse does continue to occur. Recognizing signs of abuse and neglect is vitally important. Lima Ohio provides information on some red flags to watch out for. This information comes from a guest column written by an outreach, education and volunteer coordinator from an Ohio area on aging. Some of the tips include:
- Look for unexplained bruises or injuries: If a senior has bruises, scratches, or any physical injuries that cannot be easily explained, this is a major red flag that abuse is occurring.
- Watch for new banking habits or unexplained financial transactions: Financial abuse is a common problem. Caregivers, including nursing home staff members, may try to take money or possessions from vulnerable seniors.
- Observe to see if a senior looks disheveled or dirty: Caretakers should be making sure that best practices for hygiene are being followed and that seniors are clean. If an elderly person in a nursing home looks dirty or disheveled, this is a potential indicator of neglect. It could suggest that a senior’s other needs are also not being met.
- Look for signs of malnutrition: In many cases, seniors require help eating enough food. If staff members are not patient and do not provide the necessary assistance in ensuring that a senior receives and eats a meal, the elderly nursing home patient could begin to suffer from malnutrition. Dehydration is also a possible risk if a senior is not provided with enough water. If a nursing home resident experiences unexplained weight loss that is not attributed to a specific health condition, this is a serious red flag that could suggest that the senior is being dangerously neglected by nursing home staff members.
- Be watchful for signs of over-medication: Chemical restraint is a very common problem in nursing homes. Nursing home staff will give unnecessary anti-psychotic drugs to seniors in order to try to make them more docile and to make their behavior easier to control. This can be very physically dangerous for seniors who are administered unnecessary medications.
Zimmer Law Firm will help you to understand how to take action in cases of suspected elder abuse. Our legal team can also provide assistance in making advanced nursing home care plans to try to keep seniors out of vulnerable situations where abuse and neglect may cause harm.
Getting Help from An Ohio Nursing Home Planning Lawyer
Zimmer Law Firm has worked with many seniors in Cincinnati and in surrounding areas throughout Ohio. Our legal team is committed to helping you find the right nursing home where you can maintain the highest possible quality of life as you get older. We can also assist you in ensuring that you can pay for the costs of care, hopefully while protecting most or all of your assets.
To find out what is involved in the nursing home planning process and to get help protecting your assets and your safety if you must go into a nursing home, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at 513.721.1513 when you’re ready to talk with an experienced Ohio nursing home planning lawyer who can provide personalized advice. Call today, because you want to act before nursing home care is actually needed.