It can be frightening for adult children to realize that their parents are no longer able to take care of themselves. Since many Maryland residents are not equipped to provide the level of care that a loved one may need, they move their elderly family member into a nursing home with the hope that the staff will meet the mandated standards of care. Sadly, regardless of how diligent people are in choosing a place, nursing home abuse is nearly impossible to predict.
If you have an elderly relative in a nursing home and you see signs of abuse, it should be dealt with as quickly as possible. Elderly people tend to bruise more easily, but that does not mean that you do not have the right to question whether the bruises are present due to some sort of neglect or abuse. Also, signs of dehydration or malnutrition indicate that there could be a larger problem.
There is no reason why residents should have bedsores if the nursing home staff is taking proper care of them. In addition, it may not be possible to prevent every fall, but if your loved one falls out of bed or off a chair and breaks a bone, it may be a good idea to investigate the incident. Unfortunately, in some cases, these conditions are not neglect, but abuse.
The results are the same in both instances, and many families want the responsible people punished and want the nursing homes to improve their quality of care. Filing a lawsuit against a Maryland long-term care facility for nursing home abuse does not have to be only about receiving monetary restitution for injured loved ones. It may also be possible for the court to order the nursing home to make changes that could prevent the same situation from recurring.
