Assisted Living Abuse Lawyers in Jacksonville, FL
Assisted living facilities differ from nursing homes in that their residents require less care than those in a nursing home. In most assisted living facilities, residents are required to be able to complete normal routine activities, such as eating, grooming, and being able to move around without assistance. While the type of care and requirements for assisted living facilities differ from nursing homes, assisted living residents can still fall victim to abuse. If you or someone you know has been a victim of abuse, it’s important to speak to an assisted living abuse lawyer as soon as possible.
Types of Assisted Living Abuse
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse includes unwarranted physical harm, such as hitting, slapping, pushing or kicking. Improper use of restraints and excessive restraints are also included. Many facilities use restraints for staff convenience, but they are only lawfully allowed if medically necessary and ordered by a physician. With physical abuse, you are looking mainly for 
physical symptoms marked on your loved one. Common symptoms include:
- Head injuries
- Broken bones or sprains
- Bruises
- Burns
- Cuts or abrasions
Sexual Abuse
Sadly, nursing home residents are not immune to tragic circumstances that can happen when bad people are able to get close enough to act in ways that constitute sexual abuse. Family members may have to do the harrowing work of inspecting their family member for signs of sexual trauma, but sometimes residents are courageous enough to speak up about what happened to them.
Making time to visit your family member and having detailed conversations can give them a chance to open up if they have experienced some form of sexual abuse. Experts also suggest looking for warning signs of emotional trauma, such as being withdrawn or depressed.
Psychological Abuse
Psychological abuse may occur as a result of verbal assault, degradation, harassment or bullying from the caretakers toward the resident. At least 20% of residents in assisted living facilities across the United States suffer from regular verbal abuse, which is why it’s important to have regular conversations with your loved one and look for signs of withdrawal, fear or depression.
Financial Abuse
With financial elder abuse, you are often looking for a paper trail. Many of these complaints stem from someone going over a checkbook or online bank account and noticing that money is moving around in improper ways.
With financial elder abuse, there is often a coercive element: somebody might say that they are their “friend” or try to ingratiate themselves in the lives of the resident to get access to their funds. In other cases, it’s much more behind-the-scenes and perpetrator might simply take money from an unsecured location, misuse a checkbook or steal a PIN number.
Coker Law Cares
If you notice your loved one is having recurring injuries or injuries that they cannot explain; changes in personality and behavior; or signs of depression, agitation or withdrawal, you may have a case and should consult an experienced assisted living abuse lawyer as soon as possible. Our attorneys will investigate your claims and create a case to bring justice to your loved one.
Call us today at (904)356-6071 or click here schedule a consultation.
