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Arizona
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
Arizona nursing home abuse lawyers who represent
people who have suffered a personal injury or
death by negligence, medical malpractice or a
defective product. We also represent people treated
unfairly by insurance companies resulting in bad
faith, breach of contract, and uninsured motorist
claims.
Nursing home abuse occurs in
one in three homes, and these statistics are conservative
due to underreporting. There are many different
forms of nursing home abuse that can range from
physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological
abuse, neglect, abandonment, financial or material
exploitation, and self-neglect. Currently, there
are over 17,000 nursing homes nationwide and 1.6
million nursing home residents and growing and
there is rising concern in the instances of severe
cases of nursing home abuse that has come to light.
There are certain characteristics that family
members can be aware of that may indicate nursing
home abuse is present and help prevent any more
abuse.
Signs of nursing home abuse
include unexplained injuries, such as bruises
or cuts, bedsores, frozen joints, venereal disease,
sudden change in behavior, refusal for residents
to be alone with visitors, and sudden financial
changes. Nursing home abuse often goes unreported
because the nursing home resident is afraid of
disclosing information out of fear, shame, or
worry that they are a burden. If a family member
notices any sign that nursing home abuse is present
it should be brought to the immediate attention
of the nursing home so that it can be investigated.
If the nursing home abuse does not cease, contacting
your state attorney general’s office and/or a
private attorney is advised.
Nursing home abuse has been
the subject of government and public focus recently.
Some people attribute nursing home abuse to the
undervalued profession of care-giving in general.
Under trained, under paid, and understaffed nursing
homes are putting workers under stressful conditions
by entrusting under qualified workers with caring
for elderly residents, and this may contribute
to the nursing home abuse.
While there are nursing home
regulations to prevent nursing home abuse from
inflicting pain on residents, the reports of nursing
home abuse that have led to serious life threatening
conditions and to death are continuing to surface.
An estimated 5 million nursing home residents
are expected thirty years from now, making nursing
home abuse a top agenda. Nursing home abuse has
become one of the greatest challenges the nation
has faced, and the consequences of nursing home
abuse are likely to affect every person at one
time or another.
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