Nursing Home Neglect in Suffolk County NY is often the result of a staff that is undertrained, underpaid, and overworked. Tired, frustrated caregivers may resort to giving patients sedating medication to calm them down even if this hasn’t been prescribed. The action is known as chemical restraint, and it should be considered an unacceptable method of dealing with problems. Certain types of antipsychotic medicine are effective for calming patients who become irrationally upset, but that mediation also is associated with serious side effects and even fatalities in some patients with dementia.
Family members may discover a loved one has been subjected to Nursing Home Neglect in Suffolk County NY or even outright abuse when they see evidence of poor grooming and general hygiene, anxiety when certain caregivers appear, and changes in emotional state that don’t seem warranted even in the course of the person’s mental disability.
The family may have the option of moving this person to a better facility, but they also may justifiably be angry and distraught over poor treatment of their loved one. With definitive evidence of abuse or neglect, they can file a lawsuit against the nursing home with the help of a firm such as The Law Offices of Elan Wurtzel. They should obtain financial compensation in return, and that compensation may allow them to afford a more upscale assisted living community with full nursing home capabilities.
Neglect also can apply to situations where a resident is made to feel embarrassed or humiliated when asking for assistance or having problems like incontinence or mental confusion. The resident may become withdrawn and more isolated, not wanting to talk with anyone or even leave his or her room. Family members often have no idea what’s causing this change and attribute it to worsening dementia or to depression from being disabled and having to live in a nursing facility.
Laws are strict in regard to nursing home operation, but it’s not always easy for enforcement officials to uncover negative issues in these communities. Anyone who believes their loved one is experiencing neglect, humiliation, or abuse in a nursing home should contact a lawyer for a free consultation.
