Personal Injury Attorney: Help Put A Stop To Caregiver Abuse

Sep 30
09:16

2011

Ace Abbey

Ace Abbey

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

If you know or even suspect a disabled or elderly individual is unnecessarily suffering, consider contacting a personal injury attorney. Caregiver and nursing home abuse and neglect is often underreported due to a lack of victim advocacy, so don't let it happen to someone you care about.

mediaimage
A personal injury attorney deals with many traumatic cases including when a trusted caregiver becomes neglectful or even abusive towards those in their care. Elderly or disabled individuals can suffer at the hands of another,Personal Injury Attorney: Help Put A Stop To Caregiver Abuse Articles be it at a nursing home or through careless family members. Too often, there isn't enough money, resources, or outlets for victims to find legal assistance. If you know someone that is in a similar situation, consider becoming a supportive figure by seeking justice through legal means.

Nursing Homes:
While much less common than neglect and abuse from a family caregiver, trained CNAs at private or government operated nursing homes have been known to inflict harm on the elderly or disabled persons. It is rare for the entire organization to be at fault, but rather one or two specific individuals are often to blame for the problems. If you suspect a problem, keeping diligent track of the employee schedule is one way to isolate problem CNAs. You have a right to this information and should not accept refusal from a charge nurse or other staff member in charge of scheduling.

Document anything unusual and take pictures of any suspected abuse such as bruising, bedsores, cuts, or unacceptable living conditions. Write down notes about conversations and names of all the staff involved. The more evidence you have, the easier it will be to build a case against the individual or nursing home. Find and contact a qualified personal injury attorney if the victim is unable to on his or her own. Many victims, especially elderly citizens with no surviving or nearby relatives, have few people to advocate for them, making it all the more important to take the step to call for legal assistance.

Family Caregiver:
The most common abuser is always the person closest to the victim, which is often an immediate relation such as a grown child, sibling, or spouse. In many cases, neglect is caused through ignorance or financial inability. The caregiver simply doesn't understand the needs of the other person or does not have the means to obtain them. In these instances, a better solution is to help the caregiver acquire resources or government financial assistance through the proper channels. Basic education can go a long way towards improving the situation.

In more severe cases, such as those that involve physical or emotional abuse, the caregiver may be acting out due to stress, ulterior motives such as coercing money from the individual, or because of drug dependency. Removing the victim from the home to prevent further harm is vital, but can be difficult due to the emotional state of the parties as well as legal rights involved. It is best to contact the services of a personal injury attorney so that a victim can quickly claim their rights and hopefully find a long term solution to the problem such as removal from the situation, and reclaiming of stolen funds such as those from social security or pension plans.