When we hear of nursing home abuse, most people think of a senior citizen being abused by an employee. That does happen, but there is often another source of nursing home abuse, reports Yahoo Finance: other residents. Even if it is another resident, a nursing home that allows this kind of abuse to occur can be held liable.
In a study that was originally covered by CBS news, a total of 20% of all abuse is perpetuated by other residents. This abuse can include verbal and physical abuse. Among other forms of mistreatment, common offenses included striking residents with wheelchairs, taking away food, verbal abuse and name-calling, as well as sexual assault.
The study revealed that three-quarters of the abuse observed in the study was verbal abuse and one-quarter of the abuse suffered was physical abuse. Of 2,011 residents who were involved in the study, 407 were victims of at least one kind of mistreatment from their peers.
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A change in culture is necessary to treating this kind of abuse and helping to eliminate it. When nurses see a patient yelling at another, they should respond to the incident instead of ignoring it. Residents who abuse other residents need to be controlled, and if necessary, removed from the facility.
Nursing homes who do nothing when a resident abuses another resident can be held legally liable in these kinds of situations. This can be particularly true if the resident suffers from a physical injury.
If you or a loved one has been abused while in the care of a nursing facility, contact the legal team at the offices of Schenk Smith. We can help you to get the compensation you deserve. Call us today.
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