Birmingham Legal Issues Blog

If you have had to make the difficult decision to place your parent in an Alabama nursing home, you likely spend a good deal of time worrying that (s)he is not getting the care (s)he needs and deserves.

Unfortunately, your fears may not be at all unreasonable. NextAvenue.com reports the following as the six red flags that most often indicate that the nursing home could be abusing your parent.

If you are unable to work due to a disabling medical condition or illness, you know how financially crippling this situation can be. You cannot work, which means you cannot earn an income to support yourself and your Alabama family. You may think that the best way forward at this point is to apply for disability benefits through the Social Security Administration.

Seeking Social Security Disability Insurance is not an easy process, even for individuals who have a valid disabling medical condition. You may find it beneficial to learn about exactly what you need to apply and what to expect from the process before you proceed. Preparation can help you avoid missteps in the application process and may give you a stronger chance of successfully obtaining the benefits you need.

We have gone over some of the different types of nursing home abuse that occur, such as sexual abuse and even financial abuse. It is also very important to watch out for emotional abuse, which can be hard to detect since it does not leave any signs. Regrettably, many older adults have been subjected to serious emotional abuse in nursing homes, and this abuse can adversely impact their lives in many different ways. In Birmingham, and across the entire state of Alabama, it is critical for those who have experienced emotional abuse in a nursing home or suspect that a resident has been subjected to mistreatment to take action.

The National Institute on Aging has provided a number of examples of nursing home abuse, including emotional abuse. Emotional abuse may involve threats, repeatedly ignoring a nursing home patient or yelling at a resident. Moreover, if an older adult is prohibited from seeing their loved ones and close friends, this may also constitute emotional abuse. Also known as psychological abuse, this mistreatment can have a significant impact on an older adult's outlook on life and their emotional well-being.

As an Alabama resident who currently receives disability benefits from the U.S. Social Security Administration, you may already know that your ability to continue to receive benefits depends on whether your disability is likely to ever improve, among other factors. At the Law Offices of Clark, James, Hanlin & Hunt, LLC, we understand that the government is considering granting the SSA access to the social media accounts of those receiving disability benefits in an effort to help reduce the number of Americans making fraudulent disability claims.

Per U.S. News & World Report, about 10 million Americans currently receive disability benefits. Because the current administration believes some of the people receiving these benefits are doing so without just cause, the government is considering monitoring social media accounts in a manner similar to which a divorce attorney might do so.