Experienced Nursing Home Abuse Attorney in Charleston, SC

Ramie Shalabi | February 13, 2025 | Uncategorized

Caring for elderly parents can be daunting for adult children juggling busy lives. At times, it feels like an uphill climb. The challenge grows when older loved ones need the specialized attention only trained medical staff can provide.

Contrary to what you may hear, many assisted living facilities provide excellent care to their senior residents. Appallingly, neglect and abuse are commonplace at some facilities.

Whether you suspect or know your loved ones aren’t receiving adequate care, it’s time to get a nursing home abuse attorney in Charleston involved. Find out what is considered nursing home neglect or abuse and how to report it.

What Are the Four Types of Elder Abuse?

Tragically, residents of long-term care facilities often face harm in various ways. It’s heartbreaking. Whether you or someone close to you is affected, understanding the types of these violations and their distinctions is crucial for seeking justice. Know this. Recognizing the signs is the first step toward taking legal action.

1. Physical Abuse

This type of mistreatment can happen in many ways, including when a worker slaps, pushes, or strikes a resident. However, as nursing home abuse attorneys in Charleston, we know that other forms of physical abuse can exist, including improperly restraining a patient.

Signs of physical abuse:

• Bruising on the body or face
• Broken bones
• Cuts or scratches
• Marks or wrists or legs, potentially indicating forceful restraining occurred
• A caregiver refusing or otherwise not leaving you alone with a resident

2. Sexual Abuse

As disturbing as it seems, one of the four types of elder abuse can be of a sexual nature. Sexually inappropriate behavior or actions can involve nursing home staff. Shockingly, sexual abusers may also include nursing home visitors and other residents.

Signs of sexual abuse:

• Difficulty standing, sitting, or walking
• Bruising around the genital or inner thigh areas
• Pain when using the bathroom
• Sudden withdrawal
• Strange, sometimes sexual or fearful behavior around another resident or staff member

3. Mental and Emotional Abuse

As someone who has watched another go through mental abuse will tell you, it’s not always easy to know this is happening. Sometimes, the effects of emotional abuse are more complex to notice than the sometimes apparent signs of physical abuse, such as cuts or bruises.

Common signs of mental abuse are:

• Being suddenly withdrawn
• Losing interest in favorite activities
• Depression
• Anxiousness

4. Financial Abuse

Thinking that the four types of elder abuse are only physical and mental is understandable. However, another form exists, and it’s known as financial abuse. What is it? It occurs when someone targets a nursing home resident to steal their money or valuable belongings.

Examples of financial abuse:

• Sudden, unexplainable deductions from bank accounts
• Coercement into signing legal documents (typically including the suspect as a beneficiary)
• Stolen cash

What is Considered Nursing Home Neglect?

Besides the four types of elder abuse, another issue nursing home residents face is neglect. Neglect is also abuse. However, as nursing home abuse lawyers in Charleston understand, neglect vs. abuse can be a confusing subject.

Signs of nursing home neglect involve what someone isn’t doing instead of what they are doing. Negligence means depriving someone of care. Examples of neglect can include:

• Unhygienic conditions
• Soiled clothes and bedding
• Excessive thirst or hunger
• Sudden weight loss
• Unexplained bruises (potentially from falling)

Dayson Shalabi Burkett Law Firm (DSB), LLC, is a team of nursing home abuse attorneys in Charleston, SC, that stands up for victims of neglect in nursing homes.

How Do I Report Abuse in a Nursing Home in Charleston, SC?

Is someone you love being mistreated? It’s time to take action. How? Follow these steps to report nursing home abuse.

Gathering Evidence

The foundation of any claim or report involving nursing home abuse is evidence. What counts as evidence varies but typically includes:

• Photos
• Videos
• Witness statements

Are you unsure about what is considered nursing home neglect or abuse? Speak with a nursing home abuse attorney in Charleston, SC. We’ll look at the details of your case and its evidence to determine if abuse is taking place.

Reporting and Filing a Complaint Against a Nursing Home

The next step in how to report abuse in a nursing home in Charleston involves documenting what you witness or suspect to management. Who you speak to may include a floor supervisor or similar head of staff. Ideally, letting someone else know what’s happening could prevent future bouts of abuse.

It’s time to learn how to file a complaint against a nursing home. This step can involve an independent, state-based agency investigating a care facility in South Carolina. Your first option is to contact the Long Term Care Ombudsman, which investigates neglect or exploitation in licensed nursing home facilities.

You can also utilize South Carolina’s Report It! Feature on the South Carolina Department of Public Health website. This digital tool lets you file complaints against facilities, professionals, services, and other areas of concern, including reporting abuse in a Charleston nursing home.

Note: If you witness severe measures toward a nursing home resident, especially ones that violate the law, such as assault, contact local law enforcement or dial 911 immediately.

Contacting a Nursing Home Attorney in Charleston, SC

Whether you or a loved one is a victim of one of the four types of elder abuse or nursing home neglect, lawyers can provide guidance while standing up against the responsible person and facility.

Choose DSB as your nursing home attorneys in Charleston for:

• An experienced law firm
• Lawyers who take a personalized approach
• A law firm that doesn’t receive a payment unless you do
• A tight-knit legal team of proud South Carolinians

It can make anyone angry to see a loved one display potential signs of nursing home neglect or abuse. Don’t let it go unanswered. Get a free consultation with the Charleston nursing home attorneys at DSB. We can help you file a complaint against a nursing home.