In a 2021 study of more than 2000 nursing home residents conducted by the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), 44% of respondents reported that they had themselves suffered abuse and 95% reported that they had been neglected or witnessed neglect of other residents in their facility. Studies show that a prevailing number of instances of nursing home abuse go unreported.
(Learn more about Elder Abuse by reading our F.A.Q. on the subject.)
Abuse of the vulnerable in these long-term care facilities can span from physical to sexual to financial exploitation and more. As an institution, nursing homes have a responsibility to provide for their residents’ need for food, protection, shelter, hygiene and health care. This constitutes a duty of care. Failing to provide for these basis needs is at best neglect and at worst abuse.
It’s important to know what steps one should when they suspect abuse in nursing home facilities. Of course, if anyone suspects that a vulnerable resident may be in immediate danger, they should contact local emergency personnel by calling 9-1-1. But what steps should one take if the danger is not so immediate? It’s important that threats to a love-one’s physical, emotional, financial health due to abuse by nursing home staff be reported to the local state’s attorney’s office in addition to law enforcement, so that an investigation may be opened.
Additionally, it’s also important that Adult Protective Services (APS) be contacted at the Illinois Department of Aging (https://ilaging.illinois.gov/protectionadvocacy/abuse.html) so that a report can be made and an inquiry can be opened against the nursing home facility. APS can also provide additional resources for those seeking to address suspected nursing home abuse.
Another great resource for both reporting suspected elder abuse and obtaining resources to support your loved one should they have suffered elder abuse is Eldercare Locator (eldercare.gov), a program developed by the U.S. Administration on Aging.
After reporting the abuse to local and state authorities, it’s also important to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney who can help navigate the steps to filing a personal injury claim on your loved-one’s behalf. Experienced attorneys like those at Bizzieri Law Offices in Chicago work to document the abuse, reporting, medical expenses and other damages to which you and your loved-one may be entitled. If there was particular malice or egregious neglect in your case, you also may be entitled to punitive damages.
Call our offices at 773.881.9000 if you have questions about filing a claim. There is no fee for the initial consultation and we don’t collect a fee unless we recover damages for you.