Physical abuse is the infliction of physical pain or injury, sexual assault or molestation, or use of physical or chemical restraints for punishment or without, or beyond, the scope of a doctor’s orders. Possible signs of physical abuse include:
- Bruises and hematomas with all or some of these characteristics: on inner arm/thigh bruises; shape similar to an object or thumb/finger prints (oval markings from fingers); presence of old and new bruises in the same place as from repeated injury or injuries in different stages of healing; clustered marks as from repeated striking; bilaterally on soft parts of body, not over bony parts (knee and elbows)
- Scratches, cuts, pinch marks, cigarette burns, rope burns, welts, gag marks, sprains, punctures, areas painful on touching, hypothermia, malnourishment, bed sores, fracture, choke marks
- Physical injury on head, scalp, or face
- Unexplained weight loss, malnutrition and/or dehydration
Physical abuse against nursing home and care facility residents is completely unacceptable. If you or a loved one experiences physical abuse at a care facility you may have legal recourse against the facility. The attorneys and professional legal staff at our firm have litigated dozens of cases involving physical abuse committed by residential care facilities for the elderly and skilled nursing care facilities, obtaining exceptional and ground-breaking legal settlements and verdicts against facilities.
If a staff member of a care facility has physically abused you or a loved one, the experienced attorneys of Berman & Riedel, LLP can provide you with the highest quality legal representation against the care facility and people who committed these wrongful acts of physical abuse. Contact an attorney at Berman & Riedel, LLP to discuss your legal options.
For additional information please read our detailed article on how to recognize signs of elder abuse.
