Choosing the right nursing home for your elderly loved one to live in is a hard decision. Almost as difficult as the decision to move them to a long-term care facility in the first place. When they can no longer care for themselves, or when you and your family members cannot provide or afford in-home care for them anymore, the best move is to take your loved one to a nursing home.
You expect the facility to take care of your loved one just as you would. Unfortunately, that’s not always the level of care that’s provided for them. When they experience abuse or neglect in their long-term care facility, an Ocean Springs nursing home abuse lawyer can help you get them the justice they deserve.
No matter how much research you do, sometimes your loved one will still endure abuse at their nursing home. When you hire an attorney from Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law, you can rest assured that we’ll defend their rights and determine what your family member is owed for their tragic experiences. Nobody deserves to suffer through abuse, which is why we’re dedicated to fighting for you and your family.
Forms of Nursing Home Abuse
There are different types of nursing home abuse that your loved one could experience in their facility. While all of these are bad, some are more noticeable than others. The different categories that nursing home abuse can fall under are physical, emotional, financial, and sexual. While it might seem like staff members are the only people who can perpetuate abuse in a facility, residents can also be abused by fellow residents, and if the staff doesn’t handle it, then they could still be responsible for their actions.
It’s imperative to look for signs of abuse in you loved one because if they are being abused, they likely are feeling vulnerable and like they can’t tell anyone about what they’re experiencing. The trauma could cause them to shrink into themselves and be less social, making them less likely to tell anyone. Across these different categories, here are signs that your loved one is being abused so that you can help them as soon as possible:
- Unexplained bruising, broken bones, or any other injuries
- Signs of restraints being used
- Staff lingers and doesn’t leave you alone with your loved one
- Poor body hygiene or unclean sheets
- Unexplained weight loss or dehydration
- Bedsores
- Unexplained charges to their bank account
- Missing valuables
- Changes in behavior like isolating themselves or mood swings
- Unexplained STDs
- Bruised genitals
Your loved one deserves proper care in their nursing home. When they don’t receive that, and instead are abused and neglected, they should get justice. An Ocean Springs nursing home abuse lawyer from Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law will represent your family member and ensure that they get the justice and compensation that they deserve for their suffering and damages.
Long-Term Care Facility Resident Rights in Mississippi
It’s important to know the rights that your loved one has in their Mississippi nursing home so that you can recognize when their rights are being violated and they might be suffering from abuse. Mississippi Code ensures that your family member will retain rights when they enter a long-term care facility, but when those aren’t respected, it could be time to take action against the facility.
Here are the rights that you and your family member should be aware of so you know when they aren’t being treated correctly in their Ocean Springs nursing home. According to Mississippi Code, your loved one has the right to:
- Practice their own religion and attend services if they want to
- Manage their own finances
- Not perform tasks for the facility that staff members would do
- Communicate freely with whomever they choose
- Receive unopened mail
- Be treated with respect and compassion
- Maintain their dignity
- Wear their own clothing and bring their own possessions
- Voice any grievances they have with staff or the facility
- Not be confined in the facility against their will
- Choose their own pharmacy
These are the rights listed in state legislature, and they ensure that your loved one maintains their dignity and personal choice even when they are living in a nursing home. If any of these are violated or ignored, then your loved one could be suffering from a form of abuse. That’s where a lawyer can help.
The state outlines their rights for a reason—so that if they’re violated, you can take action. An Ocean Springs nursing home abuse attorney from our firm could defend the rights of your family member and ensure that the facility is held accountable for their negligence and abuse.
Our Team Will Guide You
Nobody should feel alone, especially not an elderly person in a nursing home who is trusting the staff to care for them. With a nursing home abuse lawyer from Corban Gunn, Attorney at Law on your side, you won’t be alone. We’ll fight to get you justice.
Reach out to our office today so we can get started working on your case as soon as possible.
