Birmingham Legal Issues Blog

On our blog, we recently explored sexual abuse that occurs within nursing homes. In this post, we will look into financial abuse, another problem in many nursing homes. Financial abuse is especially concerning for a variety of reasons and it is important to draw attention to this problem so that victims can understand their legal options and address wrongdoing. Unfortunately, many people have endured financial abuse without realizing it, while others have stayed silent because they were worried that trying to hold someone accountable for their mistreatment would be pointless.

Unlike physical abuse, which can leave bruises and scars, financial abuse can be very difficult to detect. Someone may be taken advantage of financially in different ways, and they may not realize that someone who is supposed to take care of them is actually manipulating their finances and stealing from them. Many nursing home residents have been taken advantage of from a financial standpoint, and people who are responsible for this behavior should never be allowed to get away with their actions. Sadly, this happens far too often.

Weird Al Yankovic’s parody song entitled “Living With a Hernia” describes hernia agonies in amusing detail. However, there is nothing funny about having a hernia, as you know. When you and other Alabama residents seek treatment for a hernia, repairing the breach with surgical mesh is a likely suggestion. It can help to understand the potential risks before undergoing surgery.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, surgical mesh is one of the most common treatments for hernias in the United States. The mesh is commonly used to reinforce the hole or weak spot in your muscle or connective tissue that compromises the nearby organs or intestines. You can think of the procedure as strengthening the weakness with an extra layer of material that holds everything together, rather than relying on stitches alone to repair the hernia. Medical professionals say that using surgical mesh in hernia repairs can minimize your recovery time and improve your overall outcome.

If you are one of the numerous Alabama residents who had to place your parent in a nursing home because of his or her deteriorating physical or mental condition, you likely spend a fair amount of time worrying that (s)he does not receive the care there that (s)he needs. Unfortunately, based on the results of a recent investigation by Human Rights Watch, you may well have valid concerns. 

HRW investigated 15,000 nursing homes across the country and discovered that many of them routinely give their patients antipsychotic drugs, including Haloperidol, Seroquel and Risperidone, even though the patients do not need them and have never received a diagnosis for an illness or condition that requires them. So why do the nursing homes do it? To control their patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or other conditions that often make them combative and difficult to care for. Elder rights advocates term this practice chemical restraint.

When you put a family member in an Alabama nursing home, you typically expect this person to receive the kind of care you cannot provide. In some situations, though, you may find that the nursing home staff is neglecting your loved one. At the Law Offices of Clark, James, Hanlin and Hunt, LLC., we understand that the neglect of a senior is a serious incident.

You may think that nursing home neglect is the kind of incident that never happens. Unfortunately, your elderly family member might not receive enough care if a nursing home is not well-run or does not have enough staff members. Sometimes your loved one might not be able to tell you if he or she is being neglected, or he or she may think the level of care is normal. In this situation, it is important for you to know what elder neglect looks like so you can keep your loved one safe.