New Brunswick Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer

As our loved ones get older, we may find it necessary to place them in assisted living facilities to ensure their needs are met. This can include medical care, 24-hour monitoring, or help with everyday activities. We place a lot of trust in the staff of these facilities because we cannot be there all day to observe how they treat their residents. Unfortunately, a small number of facilities violate this trust and become abusive towards the people they are supposed to care for.

If you know or suspect that your elderly loved one is the victim of mistreatment in their assisted living facility, you can protect them by reporting your suspicions to the proper authorities and contacting a New Brunswick nursing home abuse lawyer to help you. The compassionate personal injury attorneys at Garces, Grabler, & LeBrocq could help you and your family pursue a claim against the nursing home and hold them accountable.

Signals of Potential Abuse

Abuse in nursing homes tends to go unnoticed for extended periods because family members are not present to witness the mistreatment. The elderly residents themselves may not be able to recognize the staff is taking advantage of them, either because the exploitation is happening secretly or they are unable to stand up for themselves because of their medical or physical condition. In other situations, an elderly resident may not be able to communicate with their family members about the mistreatment.

This is why family members and other visitors should be aware of signs of potential abuse in the facility. One of the best ways to gain this awareness is to consider the types of mistreatment that can occur in nursing homes. A common type of abuse is physical, such as hitting, shoving, or being restrained and unable to move freely. Physical abuse could be more apparent than other types because broken bones or unexplained bruising could be signals.

A less immediately observable type is emotional abuse because there are rarely any obvious indicators, and it usually occurs away from witnesses. Emotional abuse could include degrading language, yelling, or bullying behavior. Family members should pay close attention to signals of mental harm in their elderly family members, such as depression, withdrawal, or signs of fear when a caregiver enters the room.

The elderly population is perhaps the most vulnerable to financial exploitation, but this is more likely to be committed by those closest to them. Financial abuse in a nursing home is neither apparent nor elusive but may go on for years without detection. Visiting family members should be on the lookout for signals of financial exploitation like missing cash, irregular bank account activity, or illogical changes to insurance policies.

Recognizing the signs of potential abuse could help elderly loved ones escape from a bad situation, and a dedicated assisted living facility abuse attorney in New Brunswick could help pursue compensation and hold the facility accountable. Any family or visitor who has suspicions should talk to a lawyer to discuss their options.

Reporting Suspected Abuse

State and federal laws and agencies regulate nursing homes to ensure their elderly residents receive competent care. The laws and agencies also protect residents from abuse, but often, they need to receive a report of suspected abuse before they can investigate.

The Adult Protective Services (APS) and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman are the primary agencies in New Jersey that investigate and handle potential abuse in nursing homes. After filing a report with the agencies, concerned family members should also contact an elder abuse attorney in New Brunswick to talk about the situation and learn about potential outcomes.

Talk to a New Brunswick Elder Abuse Attorney

If you suspect that your elderly loved one is in an abusive situation at their living facility, you can protect them by reporting the situation to the proper authorities and consulting with a New Brunswick nursing home abuse lawyer. An experienced attorney at Garces, Grabler, & LeBrocq could help you understand your family’s legal rights and possibly pursue a claim for compensation.