When you take a loved one to a nursing home, you trust that the facility will provide the care they need to enjoy their sunset years. And most often, this is what happens. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a loved one to suffer emotional abuse at the hands of the nursing home staff.
Emotional abuse happens when a resident is subjected to a pattern of controlling and manipulative behavior that leaves them with psychological trauma. If a loved one is a victim of emotional abuse in a nursing home, the law permits you to sue the facility or the caregiver for damages.
So how does emotional abuse in nursing homes happen?
Emotional abuse can be verbal or non-verbal and can take the following forms:
- Constantly yelling at the resident
- Mocking, shaming, degrading or insulting the resident
- Threatening the resident with physical harm
- Trivializing or ignoring the resident’s concerns or requests
- Isolating the resident from family or from interacting with other residents
These are just some of the ways a resident can be abused at a nursing home.
Filing your lawsuit
If a loved one is being emotionally abused by the people who are supposed to care for them, you may need to take legal action. This way, you can hold the facility accountable for injuries suffered by your loved one. Some of the damages you can sue for include medical expenses, the cost of transferring your loved one to another nursing home, reduced quality of life and humiliation among other damages.
Nursing home abuse can happen in a variety of ways. Emotional abuse can cause just as much damage to the victim’s health and overall well being as physical abuse. Find out how proper legal advice can help you protect your loved one’s rights while bringing an emotional abuse lawsuit against the nursing home.
