It is a difficult decision to place a loved one in a nursing home, assisted living facility, or rehabilitation center. Unfortunately, sometimes this enhanced treatment is necessary. This is particularly true for residents who have dementia. Residents with dementia need additional care and treatment because of their disability which will continue to progress and worsen. While this makes a nursing home almost necessary to care for your loved one’s needs, including supervision, daily hygiene, and nutrition, it also means that your loved one may be a target for elder abuse and neglect. Our Oregon nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers share information about residents in nursing homes with dementia and how to protect them.
Dementia is a devastating condition or disease. It results in a loss of cognitive functioning which causes abnormal behavior. Dementia affects how a person’s daily and customary life functions, including basic hygiene, eating, and other general care. Individuals with dementia also may have issues relating to memory, reasoning, language, self-management, and other basic thinking and tasks. Without extra care from nursing homes and assisted living facilities, residents with dementia may be able to live with limited supervision and assisted for a longer period of time than if they were not in a facility.
Further, dementia is becoming a larger problem in society. As people live older and life expectancies are increasing. This is because medicine has helped conditions which may have previously caused death. But now people are suffering from more cognitive injuries which medical advancements have not figured out how to cure and treat. According to government research, half of all people over the age of 85 have some form of dementia. Thus, individuals living longer and suffering from more cognitive injuries like dementia mean that nursing homes and assisted living facilities are going to have more residents to care for.
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are great places for elder individuals that need daily assistance. This is because these types of facilities can specifically protect these residents and deliver the level of care that they need to function daily. In fact, the final decision to put a loved one into a nursing home may be due to the diagnosis of dementia. This is particularly true if there is some type fo Alzheimer’s element with the dementia. Overall, a nursing home is a serious step but a valid step to protecting the life of your loved one.
But while individuals with dementia need nursing home care and treatment, sometimes this means that they are a target for nursing home abuse and neglect. Indeed, residents with dementia are a much easier target for elder abuse and neglect. There are many reasons why residents with dementia are potential targets for nursing home abuse and neglect. This includes due to some resident’s inability to communicate and report what happened. Other residents with dementia may not know what is happening to them or be able to differentiate between right and wrong. Some residents may also not know how to protect themselves and report it for help.
There are many possible forms of elder abuse that could be inflicted on residents with dementia. All types are unacceptable and should not happen. Some of the most common types of elder abuse could result in the following:
If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect contact the Oregon Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form. We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.
Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles, St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.
We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take Nursing Home Abuse cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.
Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.