Recognizing Emotional Abuse of Elderly Patients

Nursing homes in New Mexico are some of the worst in the nation. Given this fact, families need to be informed about the facilities they are entrusting with their loved one’s care. The abuse of elderly patients in nursing homes can take on a variety of forms. The most common types of abuse are physical, sexual, emotional, and financial. New Mexico nursing home negligence may occur when caregivers fail to actively provide for the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of patients.

If you are searching for a nursing home negligence lawyer in New Mexico, Carabin Shaw can help. Don’t hesitate to call us for a free phone consultation. One of our experienced lawyers will be glad to speak with you.

Recognizing emotional abuse of elderly patients can be difficult because, unlike physical abuse, emotional abuse does not leave visual evidence. This kind of mistreatment can hide in plain sight.

Verbal abuse is emotionally and psychologically damaging to patients. Examples of verbal abuse may include yelling, name-calling, insulting, and sarcasm. Abusive caregivers may use language that is threatening, intimidating or ridiculing. They may use language that attempts to scapegoat or blame patients, inducing feelings of shame and guilt.

New Mexico elder abuse lawyers have experience recognizing the behavioral patterns of abusive caregivers. Extreme incidents of verbal abuse are generally easy to identify when a person witnesses them. However, many abusers are skilled at concealing their harmful behaviors. If you have any reason whatsoever to believe that your family member is experiencing emotional abuse, contact an attorney as soon as possible.

Caregivers can cause emotional and psychological harm verbally or non-verbally. This type of abuse might look like ignoring a patient, or giving them the silent treatment. Non-verbal emotional abuse could take the form of limiting the patient’s access to social interactions with family or other nursing home residents.

Without committing any acts of physical abuse, a caregiver may still act in ways that create a threatening or intimidating environment for patients. This type of New Mexico nursing home negligence can cause debilitating feelings of sadness, fear, anxiety, and depression for elderly patients. The New Mexico lawyers at our firm are committed to advocating for elderly rights.

New Mexico elder abuse lawyers can help you understand the common ways that elders react to emotional abuse. Without physical evidence of abuse, dramatic changes in behavior can serve as clues.

Over time, victims of emotional abuse may experience severe depression and anxiety. Their personalities may change rather suddenly and drastically. They can become extremely withdrawn, or they may become combative and hostile.

Experienced lawyers know that certain factors will increase a person’s risk of experiencing abuse in nursing homes. They include:

• If a caregiver is struggling with medical or financial issues, the risk of committing abusive acts goes up
• Patients who are older and require more constant care are at a higher risk of being abused
• Rates of abuse are elevated in for-profit nursing homes, partly due to understaffing

Elderly patients in nursing homes can be extremely dependent on their caregivers for day-to-day necessities such as food, shelter, medicine, hygiene, and social interaction. Caregivers may adequately provide these basics while still committing acts of emotional abuse, causing pain and suffering to elderly victims. In other cases, caregivers might withhold or threaten to withhold some part of these necessities.

Here at Carabin Shaw, we take New Mexico nursing home negligence very seriously.

Our professional team of attorneys has the skill and experience to advocate successfully for the rights of elderly New Mexico residents. We pride ourselves on our compassion and professionalism, as well as winning results for our clients.

For a free consultation, call our West Texas office, which serves New Mexico at 432-620-0544. You can also reach us toll-free at 1-800-862-1260.