Nursing Home Resident Abandonment
The National Center on Elder Abuse, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, defines abandonment as “the desertion of an elderly person by an individual who has assumed responsibility for providing care for an elder, or by a person with physical custody of an elder.” Abandonment in a nursing home setting often amounts to leaving a resident alone for long periods of time — essentially leaving him or her in a state of solitary confinement. It may also mean deserting him or her in a public place during a group outing.
An elderly or disabled resident of a nursing home often lacks the ability to emerge from isolation on his or her own because of immobility. He or she may be wheelchair-bound and depend on caregivers for escort services to and from meals and social activities in the facility. Even in just a one-time incident of a nursing home resident wandering outside the facility, the result may be a pedestrian accident, vulnerability to criminal actions in public and similar problems.
Ultimately, ongoing patterns of abandonment may result in worse problems such as:
- Depression and anxiety
- Attempts by a disabled resident to get out of a wheelchair on his or her own, causing a fall injury
- Broken bones
- Malnourishment and dehydration
- Resident elopement
Chicago area nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Kent M. Lucaccioni, Ltd., are very familiar with the complexities of negative outcomes of abandonment, including acceleration of debility and decline. Our attorneys’ cumulative experience of more than 100 years has given us the knowledge necessary to evaluate your loved one’s case and take appropriate legal actions.
Understand Nursing Home Residents’ Rights And Recognize Signs That Abandonment Took Place | Contact A Chicago Lawyer Today
An experienced nursing home abuse and neglect attorney at the Illinois law offices of Kent M. Lucaccioni, Ltd., can advise and represent your loved one and your family if resident abandonment resulted in serious injury. For information and advice at no charge, call 877-930-2551 or send an email message.
