What Is Considered Nursing Home Abuse in Nevada?

Nursing home abuse broadly refers to any form of physical or emotional harm inflicted upon a resident of an elder care facility. Here are just a few examples of nursing home abuse that we have seen here in Nevada:

• Failure to provide residents with adequate food, water, and medication.
• Physical abuse, such as beating or improperly restraining a resident.
• Financially exploiting a resident by misappropriating their personal or Medicare funds.
• Sexually abusing the resident.
• Socially isolating the resident, including cutting them off from their families.

Not all nursing home abuse is the result of deliberate misconduct by the staff. In many cases, we have found that abuse is simply the outcome of poor management at an elder care facility. Many facility owners and managers try to cut costs as much as possible. This often means inadequate staffing levels or hiring under-qualified people who lack experience in providing patient care.

But cutting costs is not a valid defense to a claim of nursing home abuse. Nor can low wages or long hours excuse staff members who take physical, emotional, or financial advantage of a resident. So when there is evidence of abuse, the legal system can hold all of these people accountable for their actions.

If litigation becomes necessary, an abused resident can seek a variety of damages, including compensation for their ongoing medical expenses, psychological counseling, and even their pain, suffering, and embarrassment. While no amount of money can ever undo the damage caused by nursing home abuse, it can provide a measure of accountability for those who would try to take advantage of our elder population.