Our Experienced Nursing Home Injury Attorneys Explain Some Important Things You Need to Know About Sexual Abuse in Nursing Homes?
We expect nursing homes to take care of our loved ones and allow them to live without fear of harm. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Abuse and negligence does occur in nursing homes. This abuse is not limited to physical abuse: sexual abuse is possible as well. Though not as documented or common as other types of nursing home negligence, sexual abuse does occur. Sexual abuse can harm the victim both physically and emotionally, putting their overall health at risk.
How Nursing Home Sexual Abuse Occurs
Sexual abuse in nursing homes often goes undetected and unreported for multiple reasons. First, this abuse is usually committed by someone close to and trusted by the victim. This ranges from employees at the nursing home to personal caretakers, friends, and even family members. For this reason, loved ones may not think to check for the warning signs of sexual abuse. The second reason is that the victims in the nursing homes usually have less than perfect memories. They can become confused easily and are often forgetful, making it hard to even determine if sexual abuse occurred in the first place. According to the National Institute of Justice, only about 30% of victims actually report their abuse. Chances of a successful conviction increase significantly with physical evidence, so watching for warning signs is extremely important.
Warning Signs of Nursing Home Sexual Abuse
Even if a loved one cannot communicate easily the abuse they have endured, some warning signs may help explain what happened. These signs include:
- New emergence of STDs;
- Difficulty sitting or walking;
- Pelvic injuries;
- Bruises around inner thighs and genital area;
- Bloody or torn undergarments;
- Panic attacks, or PTSD symptoms;
- Unusual and innappropriate sexual behavior;
- Social withdraw; and
- Suicide attempts.
If a loved one displays any one or more of these symptoms, sexual abuse may have occurred. This type of abuse constitutes nursing home negligence. This means that the nursing home failed to take care of their patient according to standards of reasonable care. This failure means that the nursing home can be found liable for any physical, emotional, and mental harm that came to the victim from the abuse.
Experienced Nursing Home Injury Attorneys Ready to Help
This abuse may not be preventable, but catching warning signs early can prevent additional abuse from occurring. Nursing homes and caretakers must hold responsibility for the health and safety of their patients. When the nursing home fails to take care of its patients up to the standard of reasonable care, a lawsuit is possible. If you suspect a loved one experienced sexual abuse at the hands of a nursing home or caretaker, contact our experienced nursing home injury attorneys immediately for more information.
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If you have any questions concerning sexual abuse and nursing home negligence, contact our experienced nursing home injury attorneys for more information by calling (800) 762-9300, email or live chat. You can also get started by simply filling out one of our case intake forms, and we will have one of our attorneys get right back to you.
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