Mental Abuse in Phoenix Nursing Homes
As personal injury lawyers specializing in nursing home abuse, Cullan & Cullan has seen many different forms of abuse throughout Phoenix. While most people think of physical abuse and neglect when they think of nursing home abuse, emotional and mental abuse are also significant issues in many nursing homes. Families with loved ones in Phoenix area nursing homes should be on the lookout for signs of mental and emotional abuse.
Forms of Mental Abuse
- Verbal degradation: If nursing home staff belittles residents with caustic, sarcastic or denigrating remarks, this is verbal abuse and should not be tolerated. This is all too-common in nursing homes where staffers are over-worked and under-paid.
- Threats: We’ve had cases where residents were threatened by nursing home staff. These can range from threats to withhold certain residential privileges all the way to threats of physical violence. This is abuse, even if the staff members in question do not follow through on their threats.
- Non-Verbal Mental Abuse: Silence and neglect can be just as abusive as the examples provided above. Nursing home staffs have a responsibility to address residents’ complaints in a timely and respectful manner. If a staff member deliberately fails to respond to, or outright ignores, a resident, this is abuse.
If you suspect a loved one has been mentally or emotionally abused in a nursing home in the Phoenix, Arizona area, please contact Cullan & Cullan