People in nursing homes are there because they need an enhanced level of assistance and care. When someone decides to live in a nursing home, or is moved there with the help of their family or friends, the nursing home is responsible for providing a legal standard of daily care. 

But what happens if, rather than caring for you or your loved one, the nursing home stops providing the care and instead threatens eviction? Eviction is threatening, frightening, and may even be wrongful. If you fear you or your loved one are facing wrongful eviction from a nursing home, read on. 

When is Eviction From a Nursing Home Considered Wrongful? 

Although nursing homes must provide residents with a high standard of care, some situations make it impossible for them to do so. If a resident cannot pay for their care, develops conditions that the nursing home is not capable of caring for safely, or no longer needs the kind of specialized care a nursing home provides, a nursing home may ask a resident to leave. 

Nursing homes have a responsibility to ensure adequate levels of staff and supervision so that elderly residents are protected and safe. Unfortunately, nursing homes are often negligent and residents suffer as a consequence. When an elderly resident who struggles to move independently is improperly supervised or left to move unassisted, they may slip, trip, or fall, leading to serious and potentially life-threatening head injuries. If you have a loved one in a nursing home who has suffered as a result of improper support or supervision, compensation may be available. 

Common Causes of Head Injuries in Nursing Homes

Although it is possible for residents to hurt their heads in other ways, falls are the most common source of traumatic head injury. Elderly patients, especially those with dementia, risk hurting themselves during normal daily behaviors, such as: 

• Using the toilet

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Although it is difficult to countenance anyone taking advantage of a vulnerable senior citizen, elder abuse happens every day in Illinois nursing homes. Nursing home staff or other occupants may take advantage of a senior resident’s imperfect mental health or memory to steal money from them or manipulate them into spending money in a way that seems, at least superficially, to be voluntary. 

The financial abuse of nursing home residents has long-term consequences for the well-being of the victims. Years of hard work and savings can be decimated by the behavior of one unscrupulous individual. If you believe that your loved one has been victimized by financial abuse in a nursing home or residential care facility, a qualified Illinois nursing home abuse attorney may be able to help you hold the perpetrator or the facility responsible. 

How Widespread is Elder Financial Abuse? 

Research by the National Council on Aging, which collects statistics about financial abuse of elders, shows that older people are at a tragically high risk of being taken advantage of by financial predators. Such predatory behavior costs the victims of financial abuse a staggering $36.5 billion every year. Cases of elder abuse are estimated to be widely unreported, so it is crucial for family members and friends to be on the lookout for signs of abuse. 

Despite promising research in disease treatment and prevention, Alzheimer’s disease continues to be a major cause of illness and death in America. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, one in three seniors dies with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, and dementia kills more people than breast and prostate cancer combined. 

It is perhaps no wonder that with such a serious disease present in such large numbers, seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s face a higher likelihood of being abused or neglected in their nursing homes or residential care facilities. Because victims of Alzheimer’s are often confused or disconnected in their thinking, it can be very difficult to ascertain the nature or perpetrator of abuse, even when Alzheimer’s patient abuse is clearly taking place. 

Common Types of Abuse of Patients with Dementia

Individuals with loved ones in nursing homes must be aware of several common types of abuse that are directed at victims of Alzheimer’s disease so they can recognize symptoms and take action. Some of the most frequently seen abuses include: 

For most of us, there is nothing more horrific than someone taking advantage of an elderly person in their care - especially if that person is someone we love, like a parent or grandparent. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse takes place every day in residential care facilities in Illinois. 

Sexual abuse of elderly nursing home residents is one of the most pernicious and damaging types of abuse, and it is important to hold abusers accountable. Although nursing home residents and their families have a right to expect safe and standardized care, when nursing home staff either perpetrate abuse or fail to prevent it, an experienced attorney can help family members seek justice and prevent such abuse from happening again.