10 Signs of Nursing Home Abuse / Neglect for Corpus Christi

If you’re living in the Corpus Christi area and your elderly family is in need of a nursing home, you may be scared of the horror stories of abuse you’ve heard and want to know what signs to look out for. When you place your elderly in the care of a professional establishment, you pay to ensure your loved one is provided for by a competent and attentive staff. We’ve compiled a list 10 signs of nursing home abuse or neglect for Corpus Christi. If you see any of these signs, don’t hesitate to reach out to Carabin Shaw for a Corpus Christi nursing home neglect attorney for your legal counsel.

1. Unusual Bruising or Bleeding:
   The thought of their loved ones being physically harmed everyone’s worst nightmare. Although the elderly are more susceptible to slips and falls, signs of bruising and bleeding could be the result of neglect and abuse. If you’re seeing far too many occurrences of injury at your loved one’s nursing facility, it may be time to investigate.
2. Open Wounds, Bed Sores, Cuts:
   A wound that is cared for shows proof that the patients are being monitored and cared for. Another indication of neglect would be bed sores. If a patient is being kept in bed for too long, their body will begin to react poorly to the restricted movement and blood flow. Cuts are a common occurrence in any environment. However, they can transform into a major problem for compromised immune systems.
3. Infections:
   When left untreated, many minor abrasions and cuts can eventually turn to an infection. Wounds should be regularly cleaned and dressed, so as not to cause infection. Again, this is often a direct result of negligence. An elderly patient will likely be prone to infection in an unattended environment, especially around other elderly untreated patients.
4. Poor Hygiene, Soiled Linens, Smell of Urine or Feces:
   Let’s be honest: nobody wants to deal with the less appealing elements of a caregiver’s job. Tending to the bathroom habits of a patient can be less than appealing, but it’s still their job. Leaving a patient to wallow in their own filth is a clear sign of neglect and can likely lead to rashes or infections.
5. Loss of Hair:
   Loss of hair can is often an indicator of internal stress, or anxiety. Without knowing for certain, it may be an indicator that something is not right within the living environment of the patient. Whether the loss of hair is a result of an undiagnosed illness, or a reaction to stressful discomforts, sudden hair loss is something that should be taken very seriously.
6. Sudden and Unexplained Change in Weight:
   Much like loss of hair, sudden and unexplained weight change is often a response to unwanted outside stimulus, resulting in massive amounts of stress. If a patient is dealing with abuse, it is possible they are either being starved or refusing to eat out of protest. No matter what the reason, if a patient is not receiving proper nourishment, it is a serious issue and an attorney should be contacted immediately. Always remember that at Carabin Shaw, a lawyer is always available to you for any legal needs.
7. Physical or Emotional Withdrawal:
   While it may be difficult to determine whether a patient’s change in demeanor is due to illness, change in environment, or abuse, any sudden difference in physical or emotional withdrawal can be a sign that something has changed for the worse. When your loved one begins to react negatively to physical touch, something is clearly wrong. At this point, one should prepare to enlist an attorney in Corpus Christi.
8. Infantile or Other Strange Behaviors:
   Change in behavior can sometimes be attributed to natural aging or senility, but extreme and sudden changes are often a sign of something much more serious taking place behind closed doors.
9. Disappearance of Personal Items:
   Missing personal items, especially items of value, is often the result of theft, which can be a common occurrence at nursing homes. Make sure to pay attention to your loved one’s surrounding, and especially listen to them if they believe something is being taken from them.
10. Sudden and Unusual Financial Transactions:
    One of the most disheartening forms of abuse at a nursing home are sudden and unusual financial transactions that appear when caregivers take advantage of their patients’ trust and diminished state of mind. The elderly are often prime targets for fraud and theft, and a Nursing Home can be like a candy store for someone who is cruel and cunning enough to take advantage.

These are not just 10 signs of nursing home abuse or neglect in Corpus Christi – if you see these in a hospital setting, you may have a case for Corpus Christi medical malpractice. If you have noticed any of these signs, contact the trusted lawyers at Carabin Shaw immediately.

Our law offices have over twenty years of experience, and hundreds of years between our attorneys. For a free initial consultation on your case, call us in Corpus Christi at 361.444.1111 or toll-free at 1.800.682.1260.