Nursing Home Negligence Lawyers in Chicago

Nursing home abuse and negligence can occur in numerous ways by both staff and other residents.

Signs and examples of such abuse can include but are not limited to:

• Unexplained injuries. These can include bruises, lacerations, sprains, fractures, and more caused by falls or physical abuse from staff or other residents.
• Emotional distress. The resident can become depressed, withdrawn, agitated, fearful, or uncommunicative, especially in the presence of the person that has abused them.
• Fast and unexplained weight loss. This may be the result of a state of emotional distress due to abuse or from negligence by staff in ensuring the resident takes proper meals.
• Malnutrition and dehydration. This may be done willfully or through improper supervision by staff.
• Bed sores. These develop when a resident’s position is not frequently shifted or moved.
• Infections. These can result from unsanitary conditions or actions by staff, such as when dealing with breathing tubes, making injections, or other medical handling.
• Medication errors. This can involve overmedicating residents to control them or providing wrong or improper doses of medications.
• Using physical restraints to keep residents under control which traumatize the resident.
• Sexual assault. These acts can by committed by both staff and other residents.
• Bullying, ridicule, and humiliation. This type of verbal abuse is another form of assault on the wellbeing of the resident.
• Financial abuse. This occurs when staff members or others take control of a resident’s finances. It can include persuading or coercing the resident into making changes to accounts, wills, and other assets or actual theft of personal items.

These types of negligence and harm often come about by poorly-trained and inexperienced staff or through their overworking due to staff shortages. Another cause is for-profit facilities that try to cut corners in order to increase their profits; these facilities can fall below proper standards.