They very well could be which is why our nursing home abuse lawyers in Chicago encourage you to get the markings checked out immediately.
Many aging individuals tend to bruise easily as their skin becomes thinner and the “tissues that support the underlying blood vessels become more fragile” [Source: WebMD]. Therefore, when an elderly person gently bumps into something that typically wouldn’t result in a bruise developing, they are left with a rather large mark on the injured area. Elderly individuals also bruise easily when they are taking medications that thin their blood.
Although not every bruise an aging person develops serves as a sign that they engaged in an accident or were mistreated by a nursing home staff member, it doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of being checked out. If you think a bruise on your loved one might be more than just the result of them bumping into a chair or the wall, you will want to bring this to the attention of the head nurse or another administrator on duty. They should be willing and eager to find out what happened and provide you with an explanation.
Now, if you are finding that the staff at the nursing home is ignoring your requests for information or are disregarding the bruises and providing you with a general explanation, you might need to contact one of our Chicago, IL nursing home abuse attorneys for further assistance with the matter. The truth is, nursing homes aren’t always going to tell you that your loved one was harmed or suffered an injury as a result of an accident. In fact, there have been cases of nursing home staff members covering up their mistakes that caused direct harm to a resident just so they and/or the facility wouldn’t be recognized for their errors.
86-Year-Old Nursing Home Resident Hospitalized After Suffering Multiple Facial Injuries
Nursing home alleges the resident was not “struck, hit, or abused” in a statement it released.
In September 2019, an 86-year-old nursing home resident from NJ was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries to her face, reports ABC7. The woman allegedly suffered “double fractures in her face,” including a broken nose, and had to have stitches. Her son, Benny Gomez, was “heartbroken, shaken, and angry” when he arrived at the hospital to see his mother with such serious injuries. Gomez believes his mother was assaulted.
The woman’s son decided to share photos of his severely bruised mother on social media which got thousands of shares. He also hired an attorney to represent the woman as he claims this isn’t the first time his mother has ended up with bruises while under the care of nursing home staff. Gomez said that his mother had told him that the aides had gotten rough with her and even hit her in the past. The 86-year-old was placed to live in the facility after she had broken her hip and became totally disabled. She also suffered from slight dementia, says the news source.
While Gomez has his theory as to what caused his mother to suffer the injuries that she did, the facility, Westfield Center Nursing Care Facility, released a statement “saying in part that it has a zero-tolerance policy of abuse, and that it contacted the Department of Health and the authorities.” The statement also said that “Mrs. Gross fell and that the information being circulated is grossly inaccurate.” A spokesperson for Westfield stated that “while the photos are difficult to see, no resident was struck, hit, or abused.”
Despite the reasoning for why Gomez’s mother was hospitalized, his lawyer said that “no resident of a nursing home should ever be made to suffer.” Although there have been no charges filed as of yet, the Department of Health and Westfield police were conducting an investigation to determine what had happened.
Should I contact a nursing home abuse lawyer if I recently noticed bruises on my loved one who lives in a nursing home in Chicago?
We do encourage you to contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. so that you can discuss your concerns with one of our trusted nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers. Although this may not be the time to take legal action, our lawyers can provide you with some useful information so that you can make an informed decision as to how you want to address the matter. If the injuries your loved one suffered were severe and you fear for their safety, our lawyers can even help get them moved out of the facility and into a new one. If you wish to speak with one of our nursing home attorneys now regarding the wellbeing of your aging relative, give us a call at 1-312-384-1920.
You can contact Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd. at:
221 North LaSalle Drive, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: (312) 384-1920
Website: www.dinizululawgroup.com
