When your loved one is in the care of a nursing home, you rightly expect that they will be safe and cared for and that their needs will be attended to daily. If you begin to notice physical, emotional, or psychological changes in your loved one, this could indicate that some form of abuse or neglect is taking place.
When you begin to witness consistent signs that could indicate nursing home abuse or neglect, you should take prompt and decisive action. The attorneys at OnderLaw are dedicated to standing up for residents who suffer from nursing home abuse and helping families get the justice they deserve.
If you are concerned that your loved one has fallen prey to nursing home abuse and believe they are at risk of imminent harm, you should report the incident to authorities. You should also contact our legal team, as we can immediately get to work investigating any incident or incidents further, collect evidence, and help protect your loved one’s legal rights from the start of the case.
Steps to Report a Nursing Home to the State of Missouri
When you are worried your loved one may be suffering from elder abuse, there are several important steps you need to take right away. For situations that you believe present a risk of immediate bodily injury or other harm to your loved one, you should not hesitate to pick up the phone and call 911. This can ensure that your loved one is immediately removed from a dangerous situation by emergency personnel, while also getting the care they need for physical injuries.
Beyond emergency aid, you have a few options to contact the authorities to report suspected nursing home abuse or neglect to the State of Missouri. This is an extremely important step if you believe your loved one is suffering any kind of abuse or neglect—be it physical, emotional, psychological, financial, or otherwise—at the hands of a nursing home facility or its staff.
You can report nursing home abuse or neglect to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services by calling 800-392-0210. You can also go to the department’s website to report the incident online. There are multiple pieces of information you will need to provide when reporting any incident of potential nursing home abuse or neglect to emergency personnel or the state of Missouri.
Examples of information you should have on hand include:
- Personal identifying details about your loved one, such as their name and age
- The physical state of your loved one
- The contact information of the nursing facility in question
- Details about any staff members that you believe are involved in perpetrating the abuse or neglect
- How you are related to the resident
- Any other information that you have witnessed or documented about these suspected incidents
After contacting emergency services and reporting the nursing home to the state, you should also reach out to a trusted nursing home abuse attorney at OnderLaw as soon as possible. We can collect and preserve evidence vital to the case and help you take all necessary steps to safeguard your loved one’s well-being.
Possible Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
There are multiple indications of potential nursing home abuse and neglect that could lead to you needing to file a report with the state of Missouri. These indications can manifest in physical and emotional changes or seemingly unexplained shifts in your loved one’s behavior, life, or habits.
For example, some common signs that a nursing home resident could be experiencing physical abuse include:
- Ulcers
- Bedsores
- Broken bones
- Unexplained bruising
- New mobility difficulties
- Sexually transmitted diseases
However, sometimes, the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect can be far less obvious. Mood swings, the onset of anxiety or panic attacks when certain staff members are present, fear of being left alone, withdrawal from activities or socialization in general, or depression can be signs that abuse or neglect is occurring. Significant shifts in the resident’s financial life can indicate elder abuse as well, such as mysterious or unauthorized withdrawals, new signatories on bank accounts, or sudden changes to key legal documents.
A Missouri Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Can Help You Keep Your Loved One Safe
Legal cases involving suspected nursing home abuse or neglect can be quite complicated. There may be multiple types of financial damages that your loved one could be entitled to for the ordeal they have suffered, and there could be numerous parties who are legally liable for what happened.
At OnderLaw, our dedicated legal team is unafraid to dig deep and hold all responsible parties accountable for such acts of gross and wanton negligence. We will take every action necessary to protect your loved one and secure maximum compensation for the losses they have endured, while helping ensure they are safe from future harm. Call our office today to speak with one of our trusted nursing home abuse lawyers.
