Pasco County Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer 

Although it seems unimaginable, nursing home abuse is not uncommon, especially in Florida. Nursing home neglect occurs for numerous reasons. Many of the reasons for abuse can be directly attributed to the retirement home business model, especially since a common cause of carelessness is staffing shortages. However, none of those reasons are excusable and is important to try and hold these homes responsible for their negligence.

If your loved one has been the victim of neglect or abuse in an elderly care facility, contact a skilled Pasco County nursing home abuse lawyer for assistance. A qualified personal injury lawyer can fight for justice for you and your loved ones.

Abuse and Neglect Defined

In Florida, elder abuse is the act of intentionally inflicting physical or psychological injury, behaving in a manner that could reasonably be expected to result in physical or psychological injury, and/or actively encouraging any person to commit an act that results or could reasonably be expected to result in physical or psychological injury to an elderly person or disabled adult.

Thus, physically assaulting or mentally abusing an elderly person constitutes elder abuse. It is not, however, limited to those acts. Looming over a retired person after communicating threats and placing an elderly person in isolation either by physically removing them from group activities or refusing them to allow them to attend group activities also rises to elder abuse.

Finally, instigating a dispute while suggesting that someone else physically assault a resident, including another resident, an employee, or a resident’s family member, all constitute elder abuse in Florida.

Suspicion of Abuse

It is important for assisted living resident’s loved ones to be knowledgeable of the signs of abuse or neglect because residents are vulnerable. Similar to child abuse by daycare employees, elder abuse victims are often chosen because of their inability to communicate. The signs of abuse are not limited to just physical bruising.

Nursing home residents’ loved ones should be on the lookout for anything that seems strange or unexplainable. Additionally, resident’s belongings consistently going missing, bedsores, a lack of mobility that was not a concern before, or unclean bed linen may be signs that the resident has been abused or neglected.

It is not uncommon for elderly people that live in assisted living facilities to injure themselves. However, bruises, falls, and physical injuries should not become a regular occurrence. When they become a regular issue, it can be a sign of abuse or neglect. Moreover, a resident’s unwillingness to speak in the presence of certain staff members and incomplete or missing medical records are also common signs that the resident may be in an unsafe facility. If an individual suspects that their loved one is being abused, they should get in touch with a Pasco County nursing home abuse attorney who can protect their loved one, and begin building a case.

Speaking with a Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse, you should hire a knowledgeable and passionate Pasco County nursing home abuse lawyer to review your case.Nursing home abuse is part of personal injury law. All personal injury law cases in Florida have a time limit after an incident of abuse occurs in which one must file a lawsuit in civil court to avoid being time-barred, which means that the judge is unlikely to dismiss the case without a hearing. In Florida, a retirement home abuse victim or loved one has four years from the date of the accident or incident to file a lawsuit. Contact a skilled abuse attorney and start building your case.