New Jersey Nursing Homes

When a nursing home facility puts money and profit before residents, the result can be devastating, leading to injuries and wrongful deaths. KBA Attorneys is a law firm that represents individuals and families who have suffered various forms of nursing home abuse in New Jersey, neglect, injuries and death. The following are the types of abuse occurring in NJ nursing homes:

Physical

The use of violence or physical force against another person that causes pain, injury or impairment is considered physical abuse. When such mistreatment occurs in a nursing home setting, it can also be considered negligent.

Signs to look for when examining a nursing home resident for indications of physical abuse :

• Bed sores that will not heal
• Abrasions on skin resembling marks from ropes or straps
• Sudden weight loss, malnutrition or dehydration
• Sepsis

If you suspect that a loved one in a New Jersey nursing home is suffering physical abuse there, talk to the staff members. If you receive no satisfactory answers from the staff, move your family member from that facility and immediately contact authorities to report the suspected abuse.

Psychological and Emotional

Psychological abuse involves emotional and verbal manipulation of another individual in an attempt to control the victim’s behavior. This type of abuse is used to diminish a person’s sense of dignity, identity and self-worth by using tactics of intimidation, aggression and verbal humiliation. Signs of emotional abuse may be manifesting if a nursing home resident is doing any of the following:

• Appearing disturbed, hopeless or scared
• Avoiding eye contact
• Seeming withdrawn or depressed
• Having sudden changes in sleeping or eating patterns

It can be very difficult in a nursing home environment to fully identify psychological and emotional abuse. For this reason, such abuse frequently goes unreported. If you believe emotional abuse is happening to your loved one in a nursing home, immediately move your loved one to a safer setting and report the abuse to appropriate authorities.

Financial

Improperly or illegally using another individual’s funds, property or other assets constitutes financial abuse. In a nursing home environment, an act of financial abuse may be committed by either an employee of the care center or by the nursing home facility itself.

Some signs to look for if you suspect financial abuse of a nursing home resident includes:

• Sudden changes made to financial documents or a will
• Frequent checks written to a financial professional or a caregiver
• Names being added to a financial account
• Unexplained, sudden transfer of assets to another individual

If you believe your loved one is the victim of financial abuse at a nursing home in New Jersey, contact authorities right away and consider lodging a complaint with the proper agencies.

Sexual

Sexual behavior committed by one individual upon another who is not willing or not able to give consent is called sexual abuse. Sadly, elderly people in nursing home facilities who have a mental illness or dementia may be targeted. Sexual predators often prey on individuals who can’t express their lack of consent.

A nursing home resident may display the following signs if being sexually abused:

• Stained, bloody or torn underwear
• Bruises on the genitals or inner thigh
• An unexplained injury to the pelvic area
• Pain, irritation or bleeding from the genitals or anus

If you think your family member who lives in a nursing home may be suffering sexual abuse, move them to safety immediately, and then report it to authorities.

For an individual to bring a lawsuit against a nursing home, the individual must prove that:

• The facility staff breached the acceptable standard of care or did not abide by federal or state regulations.
• An injury resulted from the breach of duty.

In New Jersey, the law requires that a victim must be age 60 or older to be included in the category of individuals covered by elder abuse statutes. Additionally, charges may be filed against an alleged abuser for endangering the welfare of an elderly person if:

• The alleged abuser has a legal duty to provide care (or has assumed a position of continuing responsibility to provide care) for (a) an individual age 60 or over, or (b) a person requiring care who lives with a physical, emotional or mental disability.
• The alleged abuser failed to care for the mental or physical health of the disabled or elderly individual.
• The alleged abuser did not allow another person to properly care for the elderly individual’s mental or physical health needs.

If you suspect a loved one is suffering from any type of abuse or neglect, contact a dedicated nursing home abuse lawyer in New Jersey. You can learn about what civil and criminal legal actions you can take by calling 855-281-2571 or by filling out an online form for a free case evaluation.