Often taking care of an elderly family member is too much to take on alone. This means they must either have the assistance of an in home nursing company or place their aging family member in a nursing home. The family wants the best care they can get for their aging relative.
A sad fact that families do not always realize is the health care provider does not always provide the best care for the elderly person; neglect is more common than most people realize. This can occur in many forms, it can be mental or physical and it can lead to extreme health problems for the aging adult, in some cases it can lead to death if allowed to continue.
As terrible as it sounds, neglect can be in the form of malnutrition, dehydration, it can be rough handling of the aging person or it can be mental stress. The aging person can be intimidated easily, especially if they have recently been placed in a nursing home setting.
You must become very watchful of any changes in your loved one’s demeanor, when there is a situation of this sort; there might be signs of neglect such as ill kept clothing, cuts, bruises and other injuries. There can also be signs of dehydration or malnutrition and while the older person might not have the appetite they did when they were younger, they should not begin to lose weight, unless there is a medical condition that is causing weight loss.
Sometimes, due to mental stress from abuse the elderly family member may become quiet or disinterested in conversations, they might seem fearful and they might complain about the situation. When the family does not take these complaints seriously, they might not hear them again until it is very apparent that something is wrong. Many times in the situation where the elderly person has been placed in a nursing home or one where there is someone coming into their home the family feels they are complaining, because they do not like the situation. This can be true in many cases, it takes time to adjust to new situations, but the family needs to check out and make sure it is not abuse.
About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and the Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard injury law blog as a pro bono service to consumers. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY, who handle car, truck, railroad, and medical negligence cases and more.
BM
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
Comments for this article are closed.