It’s very sad to hear about elderly individuals suffering at the hands of nurse aides. While some nursing home patients have been hit across the face, others have been violently thrown back and forth between their beds and wheelchairs. Unfortunately, physical abuse in Florida nursing homes doesn’t stop with nursing aides. Other staff members and even other patients themselves have been known to physically abuse nursing home patients.
Any act that results in bodily injury or pain is described as physical abuse, and physical abuse in nursing homes is illegal. Unfortunately, it happens too often due to these five top reasons, including:
- Nursing homes fail to perform background checks on their staff members.
- Nursing homes fail to perform background investigations on patients who have been convicted.
- Nursing homes fail to provide a safe staff-to-patient ratio.
- Nursing homes fail to hire the proper number of supervisors in order to adequately supervise staff members.
- Nursing homes fail to train employees on how to spot and report physical abuse.
When physical abuse occurs for any of the above reasons, the nursing home may be liable for negligence. If your loved one suffered broken bones, black eyes, cuts and bruises, lacerations, unexplained injuries, signs of rope marks, or changes in behavior, it is a serious matter that should be reported to the proper authorities. Sadly, elderly people are often taken advantage of because they are weak. Even something like a shove can result in serious injuries to an elderly person. Some other examples of physical abuse in Bradenton nursing homes include:
- Pushing patients
- Hitting or slapping residents
- Beating patients
- Kicking residents
- Throwing patients into bed or their wheelchairs
- Pulling hair
- Pinching patients
- Shaking residents
- Using restraints
Nursing homes can be cited if staff members commit the physical abuse themselves or if they fail to protect patients from abuse by other residents. Nursing homes patients should be safe living in any facility, and nursing home staff members should make sure they are doing their part to keep patients safe from abusers.
If your loved one has been the victim of physical abuse in a Florida nursing home, you need to contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible to discuss your case. Call a nursing home abuse attorney in Bradenton at Mallard Perez for a free consultation today at 888-409-3805, and find out how we can help your loved one.