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The risk factors of nursing home mental abuse in Columbia MD

Written by
ruxandra
June 17th, 2016

One in every 3 people living in a nursing home has been the victim of nursing home mental abuse in Columbia MD. Nursing home abuse can come in many forms, and it can impact nearly any resident. Luckily there are some obvious factors that if watch out for will lower the likelihood you or your loved one will be abused. In addition to this, you can contact a personal injury lawyer from Columbia, Maryland, and file a nursing home abuse claim.Your Columbia injury attorney can also help you understand the risk factors present in a nursing home that will help you become more vigilant in the future.The risk factors: when it is more likely for nursing home abuse to happen The risk factors for nursing home abuse are generally the same for most cases. Your Columbia injury lawyer knows that abuse can arise from environmental facts, as well from other residents. Some of the most encountered environmental risks are:

  • Caregiver related factors. In some cases, the caregivers who are burned out suffer from substance abuse and possibly mental health issues, making them act out their stress on the nursing home residents. It is also possible that due to the poor experience of the caregiver or insufficient training to harm physically or emotionally a resident. A resident can also feel abused if there are too few caregivers in the nursing home. Contacting a Columbia injury attorney can help you protect your of your loved one's rights and receive compensation for what they had to go through.
  • Facility related factors. The poor conditions of the facility and understaffing will make nursing home abuse more likely to occur. Another important factor is the lack of security personnel, as well as the low number of protocols for proper care and the poor background check on the caregivers. In this case, a personal injury attorney from Columbia, Maryland, will make sure the nursing home will have to pay for the emotional and/or physical distress you or your loved one have suffered.

But in many cases, the nursing home abuse does not come from the staff or facility but are the result of resident to resident abuse. The risk factors of resident to resident nursing home abuse are:

  • A resident's tendency to aggressive behavior. There are a lot of nursing home residents who present aggressive, combative behavior, which can be contagious. This can cause the caregivers and other residents to be more aggressive and act out their frustration. But this type of behavior is illegal, and with the help of your Columbia injury lawyer, they will be brought to justice.
  • Certain health impairments. Unfortunately, the residents suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia are at risk of suffering more nursing home abuse and neglect than others. In general, the residents mostly abused are vulnerable and cannot protect themselves (or are not aware that they should). Because these residents are not aware of the abuse, there is unlikely for the abuse to be reported. If you someone in your nursing home or your loved one's nursing home who is abused you should contact a personal injury attorney from Columbia, Maryland, to help bring the culprit to justice.

Contact the best personal injury lawyer from Columbia, Maryland at: (443) 569-3950 or by email at: chris@annapolisaccidentattorney.com for a free consultation of your case.