Elderly Nursing Home Abuse - Warning Signs
16-Nov-2011 If you have a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you may have concerns about reports of elderly nursing home abuse or neglect in nursing homes. Abuse of elderly people is on the rise both inside and outside of nursing home facilities. If you are worried about abuse or neglect of your loved one, look for the following warning signs:
Signs of Physical Abuse:
• Bumps and bruises
• Unexplained or unreported injuries
Signs of Emotional Abuse:
• Depressed, withdrawn behavior
• Unexplained fear or paranoia
Signs of Neglect:
• Poor personal hygiene
• Lack of clean clothes, bed linens and towels
• Bedsores or other infections
When you are speaking with and visiting your loved one, the most important thing you can do to avoid elderly nursing home abuse and neglect is to listen. If they are unhappy or constantly complaining, especially if it is against their nature to do so, that is a red flag. This goes for other residents like your loved one’s roommate, as well. When you are visiting, do the other residents seem generally happy and well taken care of? If not, that is another red flag.
Possibly more important than what your loved one says about their living situation is what they aren’t saying but what you are observing. Does the facility seem well maintained and clean? Are the caregivers friendly and outgoing and seem to genuinely enjoy their jobs? If not, or if your loved one seems to shy away from caregivers, this is cause for concern.
It also goes without saying that any significant changes to your loved one’s physical or mental health are causes for concern. This includes sudden or frequent unexplained bruises, rapid weight loss or gain, depression and withdrawal and poor hygiene. All of these conditions, as well as anything else that just doesn’t seem right, give cause for concern about abuse of elderly people in that facility.
Keep in mind that it is your right and responsibility to speak with the administrative team about any concern you have regarding the quality of care your loved one is receiving. Any reputable facility is well aware of elderly nursing home abuse and neglect in nursing homes and should take your concerns seriously. If your concerns are not met with the appropriate level of gravity and respect, there are steps you can take to make a formal complaint about elderly nursing home abuse or neglect on behalf of your loved one.
Contact Malman Law today to schedule a FREE Case Evaluation regarding your loved one and suspected nursing home abuse in the Chicago, IL area.
DISCLAIMER: All information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as legal advice. The Law Offices of Steven J. Malman & Associates shall not be liable for any errors or inaccuracies contained herein, or any actions taken in reliance thereon.

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VERDICTS &
SETTELMENTS
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$1,225,000 settlement for a speedway patron who got hit by a baseball-sized rock kicked up by a race car. The rock hit her so hard, she needed an emergency tracheostomy and brain surgery.
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$6,000,000 settlement for our client, a 4 month old baby whose doctors had failed to diagnose a brain infection that left her with permanent brain damage and cerebral palsy.
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$11,800,000.00 in a product liability settlement for a father of five who tragically died when his tire treads failed, causing his vehicle to roll over.
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We obtained a $5 million settlement for a woman whose son died when his physician failed to diagnose a tumor.
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A woman recovered $2.25 million in a medical malpractice case, in which the woman's obstetrician/gynecologist failed to spot her cancer on a pap smear, causing our client to have to undergo multiple, surgeries.
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A $2 million verdict was obtained for a woman whose Ob/Gyn failed to refer her to a gynecologist to treat what turned out to be a malignant uterine sarcoma.
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We obtained a $1.7 million settlement in a nursing home neglect case in which a 72 year-old man suffered radiator burns so severe that he had to have his legs amputated.
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We obtained a $1.4 million award in a slip and fall case involving a 13 year-old boy who developed severe hip trouble after falling down the stairs of his high-rise.
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A $1.25 million settlement in favor of our client, an 18 year-old boy who lost most of his vision after being assaulted by a security guard.
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We obtained a $1.15 million settlement for our client, a little girl who suffered severed burns as a direct result of fire code ordinance violations.
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A union painter whose legs got crushed by a forklift recovered $1 million in damages.
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A $1 million settlement in favor of our client, a hemophiliac, who suffered severe soft tissue damage in a car accident.
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A union steel worker who injured his back moving a 300 pound steel beam in the rain recovered $1 million for his construction site work injury.
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We obtained a $900,000 settlement in the case of a beaten prison inmate who died after being given the wrong medication at the hospital.
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We obtained a $600,000 settlement for a man who suffered a below the knee amputation after his friend accidentally shot him with a hunting rifle at a restaurant.
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A 54 year-old woman recovered $600,000 in a product liability settlement after her oven mitt exploded and severely burned her breasts.
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A woman who had lost her baby to fetal distress while in the hospital was awarded $500,000 for medical malpractice.
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An 81 year-old bedridden stroke victim recovered $390,000 after he developed what would turn out to be fatal pressure ulcers stemming from negligent nursing care.
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A nursing home resident won a settlement of $300,000 stemming from a hip fracture accident. His nursing staff had failed to take proper fall-risk precautions.
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We obtained a settlement of $250,000 for the estate of a 21 year-old man who, after sustaining life-threatening injuries in an automobile accident, subsequently died in the hospital due to the staff's failure to insert a chest tube.
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We obtained a settlement of $175,000 for the estate of a woman whose negligent nursing home care resulted in bed sore ulcers that led to an infection that ultimately caused her death.
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We obtained a $150,000 settlement for a 69 year-old stroke victim who had to have an above the knee amputation due to nursing home neglect.
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A $150,000 verdict was recovered for the estate of a 79 year-old man, who suffered bed sores stemming from nursing home neglect that ultimately contributed to his death.
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