It’s hard to make the decision to place a loved one into a nursing home. Even if you want to take care of them on your own, sometimes a facility has better resources available for your loved one in their old age. But it can be an even harder decision to remove them from the nursing home if it isn’t the right fit for their needs.

When a long term care facility is no longer working for your loved one, you should get in contact with an experienced lawyer from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress in Charleston. We can help you stand up for your loved one if they have been mistreated by the nursing home who was supposed to be taking care of them. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons you might need to remove your loved one from a nursing home.

People with diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia can be unpredictable in their moods, actions, and thoughts. The symptoms of dementia, like memory loss and trouble concentrating, can make it hard to reason with the person about their behavior because they might not remember acting out, or they might not see themselves as wrong. This unpredictable nature can lead to behavioral or safety issues if the patient is not properly monitored and supervised.

If your loved one is in a long-term facility, you should always pay attention to the care that they’re receiving. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is a real possibility. Most patients with dementia require extra attention and care. Keep reading to find out what form negligence takes for nursing home patients with dementia so that you know what to look for in your loved one.

Something as simple as tripping over a curb while trying to walk on the sidewalk could prove fatal to an elderly person. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the number of fatal falls in the elderly population nearly tripled from 2000 to 2016. And they’re still on the climb to nearly 30,000 per year. Even though falling might not seem like a serious threat to a person’s health, it is just that for people 65 and up.

In fact, falls are the number one cause of injuries in Americans 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Older adults who experience a serious fall in a hospital or nursing home could have a steep decline in health, especially if they suffer a traumatic brain injury or a hip fracture. A downturn in health in that population could quickly lead to death. What makes falling so serious, especially among the older population?

Transitioning your loved one into a nursing home can be emotionally difficult for everyone involved. There’s no doubt that you’ll want to ensure they receive the best care possible. This includes frequent and positive social interactions. It’s crucial for long-term care facilities to train their staff to have positive interactions with residents. Social gathering and events should be regularly scheduled, and family visits should be encouraged.

When, however, nursing home staff are intentionally or unintentionally negligent, residents can suffer. When nurses do not engage with residents or purposely ignore them, a bleak or even hostile environment is created. As a family member of a nursing home resident, it’s important to understand how silence can lead to emotional abuse and what you can do to encourage a high quality of life for your loved one.

Nursing home abuse is a terrible occurrence in the United States. There’s also a lack of unified data on the abuse that happens within nursing homes, especially sexual abuse. And while people can look up nursing home reviews and see how the facility rates, this doesn’t always stop bad people from slipping through the cracks. It only takes one negligent or abusive person to harm an elder.

Stopping abuse from happening is necessary, but is a task that’s considered difficult due to the persistent nature of both neglect and abuse. Cases of abuse are considered “persistent” because events continue to happen despite changes made in the last couple of years to encourage honest facility reviews and staffing protocols that hold homes accountable. Given how defenseless nursing home residents often tend to be, protections need to be in place to keep residents safe from horrific abusive crimes. This poses a question that’s difficult to answer: What types of protections are we lacking nationwide, and how can we stop abuse cases from being so persistent?

When your loved one is being abused in their nursing home, you want to take action immediately. The first step is moving them to a safe place to live. Then you can start to fight for their rights. A skilled West Virginia nursing home abuse lawyer from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC will help you get justice for your loved one.

The lawyers at DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC have represented West Virginia citizens for years and always do everything possible to have successful cases. We know the emotional trauma of realizing your loved one was abused is a heavy weight to bear. We can help you get financial compensation for the pain and suffering they’ve experienced. Bringing their case forward may also inspire change within the nursing home so no other resident will be at risk of abuse in the future.

When your parents get older, sometimes you’re faced with a difficult decision of placing them in long term care. Choosing the right nursing home for your loved one can be stressful, but it’s comforting to know that they’re going to get the care and support they need to live a dignified and fulfilling life. But sometimes, the nursing home doesn’t provide this care and take advantage of its residents.

Nursing home residents can be subject to different kinds of abuse: Physical, financial, social, and psychological. Psychological abuse takes a large emotional toll on seniors and may go unseen if you don’t know what you’re looking for. If you suspect your loved one is being psychologically abused, a West Virginia nursing home abuse lawyer from DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC can help. We’ll stand up for your loved one’s rights.

In an era when our nursing homes and long-term care facilities are already packed to the brim, one risk we must unfortunately consider when we have a loved one in such a facility is the risk of nursing home abuse or neglect. When facilities are understaffed and employees are overworked, abuse and neglect are very real risks—and do happen in West Virginia facilities as well as nationwide.

One of the ways the U.S. government has helped combat instances of abuse and neglect in nursing homes is by putting heavy violations and fines in place that facilities are forced to pay if they fail to pass regular, randomized health and safety inspections. These measures help ensure our loved ones are safe even when we can’t be there for them. Serious consequences like heavy fines make sure facilities do what needs to be done to prioritize resident safety.

Sending a loved one to a nursing home can be a difficult decision. But at the end of the day, you’re doing it because you want your loved one to have the best care and the highest quality of life.

But sometimes, nursing homes aren’t what you expect them to be. They might not have the best people in charge, or their facility might not meet the standards that they should be meeting. When this happens, there’s a higher chance of your loved one potentially getting abused or neglected in the facility.

When you send your loved one to a nursing home, you want them to have a life where they’ll receive good care that promotes a better well-being. Good homes have attentive and skilled staff, a clean environment, and plenty of activities to keep your loved one engaged mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Sometimes, a nursing home isn’t the place it’s supposed to be. When nursing homes are understaffed, there might not be enough people to care for your loved one. This can lead to abuse because your loved one might try to do something without assistance.