When looking for a nursing home for a loved one, the last thing on your mind is that he may be neglected. But, the more you visit him, you begin to notice changes. He’s become withdrawn, depressed and you notice he’s lost weight. Is he being neglected?

Here are 7 red flags to watch out for when lives in an assisted living community.

When neglect takes place in a nursing home, it is typically not something that is reported or is written off as a person getting older. It is essential to look out for these signs to ensure that your parent is living in a safe environment.

1. Person Shows Signs of Poor Hygiene – A sign of neglect is the decline in personal hygiene. Your parent once took pride in their appearance, and now out of nowhere, they’ve stopped brushing their teeth, combing their hair, and matching their clothes.This could be a sign that your parent is not being given the attention they need. It also means they’re not being helped when it comes to taking care of their hygiene needs.

2. The Person Is Frequently Injured – As people get older, they are more susceptible to falling and becoming injured from those falls. This is because, over time, their muscles become weak, and they begin to experience issues with their balance.However, if your parent is experiencing an increase in bedsores, mysterious bruises, and broken bones, these matters should be looked into further. If your parent has bedsores, it’s an indication that they’ve been left in the same position for a long time.If they have frequent bruising, it could be a sign of hazards that are causing these injuries, inadequate supervision, or they are being physically assaulted by a member of the staff or other residents

.3. Person Seems Dazed and Disoriented – If your loved one has gone from being upbeat when you visit to disoriented and confused, it needs looking into. When a facility is understaffed and not able to give every resident the attention they need, leading to medicine being administered improperly.

4. Loved One Appears Malnourished – Now that your parent has moved into the assisted living facility, they’ve begun to lose weight and along with losing weight their energy is declining. Which, in turn, makes your parent seem more irritable than usual.The aging process can cause the elderly to lose energy. However, significant weight loss can be a sign that they aren’t getting the nourishment they need.

5. Money and Property Are Missing – Financial abuse of those who live in assisted living is another sign a nursing home isn’t being run properly. If you’ve begun to notice that personal items are going missing or their bank account is being depleted of money, there could be a deeper issue. At times people take advantage of the fleeting memory of the elderly and exploit them financially. This is not only abuse of the elderly it is a crime that should be reported immediately.

6. Loved One Is Withdrawn – If your loved one used to look forward to your visits and they now cancel visits, it may be a case of being isolated. At times residents are subjected to psychological abuse, which is when the caregiver separates them from others. This is called restricting the patient’s rights and not allowing them to take part in the activities of daily living. Not allowing a resident to take part in activities as they would like is a violation of the law.

7. Nursing Home is Unsanitary – Much like the other sign, when it comes to your loved one’s personal hygiene, the state of the nursing home should also be taken into consideration. If you notice the nursing home is unkempt and isn’t clean, that could be an indication that your loved one and the other residents aren’t being looked after.

How Should You Respond to the Red Flags of Abuse?
If you’ve been given any reason to believe your family member is in danger and being abused, your next steps are crucial. The first thing you need to do is to document the changes you’ve noticed in your loved one so you’ve got the evidence you need.

Next, is to have them transferred to another facility so you know they are safe and no longer being abused. Once you’ve taken care of that, it is time to contact an attorney that specializes in cases where the elderly have been abused.The attorney will help you to prosecute the nursing home and receive justice for your loved one after the suffering that they’ve been put through.Is Your Loved One Being Abused?

After reading through all the signs listed above, is your loved one being subjected to nursing home neglect? If the answer to that question is yes, then you need to contact us right away so we can help get the justice your loved one deserves.We are skilled at what we do. And we want to help you and your loved one.

A situation like this needs to be handled quickly and by people that are experts.You can speak with us for free. Call Accident Attorney John Fagan at 904 LAW-1212 anytime, day or night.