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Nursing Home Sexual Abuse

Keywords: Lawyer | Nursing Home | Sexual | Abuse | Lawsuit

The nursing home abuse lawyers at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP have seen how nursing home sexual abuse devastates its victims.  This shocking crime is far more common than some might think, and is becoming more frequent.   Our nursing home abuse attorneys have worked for over 15 years to insure that nursing homes that fail to protect residents from sexual predators are held accountable for the terrible injuries these criminals inflict on nursing home patients.

Our Dedicated Lawyers and Attorneys Have Years of Experience
Handling Nursing Home Sexual Abuse  Lawsuits!

Nursing Home Sexual Abuse a Growing Problem

As the corporations that own nursing homes look to cut costs, they have reduced wages and staff at their facilities.  Understaffing makes it far easier for the activities of sexual predators to go unnoticed.  Low pay means that in some cases, nursing homes end up attracting unscrupulous individuals. Very often, nursing home management won’t perform background checks on prospective employees unless they are required by law to do so.   The nursing home abuse lawyers at our firm have seen how the lack of background checks, understaffing and poor pay offered to nursing home staffs have allowed sexual predators to gain employment in nursing homes and other long term care facilities. 

According to a 1996 Medicaid Fraud Report, 10% of all physical abuse cases in nursing homes are of a sexual nature. Sexual elder abuse is defined as non-consensual sexual contact of any kind with a nursing home resident. Sexual contact with any person incapable of giving consent is also considered sexual elder abuse.

Nursing home residents are known to have been sexually victimized by both staff and other residents. Sexual abuse of nursing home victims nearly always occurs along side other forms of abuse. Sexual abuse is often a sign that nursing home management is neglecting its residents in many other ways.  The nursing home abuse attorneys at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP are dedicated to insuring that nursing homes that do not provide a safe environment for residents are held accountable.

Signs of Nursing Home Sexual Abuse

Often, nursing home sexual abuse goes undetected.  Sadly, the physical and cognitive impairments common among nursing home patients make it impossible for them to fight off sexual assailants or report sexual abuse.  In other cases, sexual predators are able to intimidate their vulnerable victims into silence.  In still other instances, nursing home sexual abuse victims are too embarrassed to come forward with details of what they have been forced to endure.  For this reason, the families of nursing home victims must become educated about sexual abuse that occurs in nursing home.  The nursing home abuse lawyers at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP have dedicated themselves to providing the families of nursing home victims with the resources they need to protect their loved ones.

Nursing home abuse can take many forms.  Forced nudity, or forcing a nursing home resident to engage in taking pornographic pictures or looking at pornography is a form of sexual abuse.  Forcing a nursing home resident to listen to inappropriate jokes or stories – especially if the intent is to humiliate the resident – is also abusive. Unwanted sexual touching (including whipping, pinching, and punching or kissing) on the part of staff is sexual abuse, as is forcing one resident to inappropriately touch or kiss another’s body.  Obviously any form of rape or forced sexual intercourse is sexual abuse.

There are some physical signs of sexual abuse that anyone with a loved one in a nursing home should be aware of.  Bruising around breasts, upper abdomen, or inner thigh is often evidence of inappropriate touching or worse. Signs that a nursing home resident has been the victim of a sexual assault include bleeding from the vagina or anus; the presence of a sexually transmitted disease; troubles walking or discomfort when sitting; and irritation or itching in genitals.  The nursing home abuse attorneys at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP are very aware of all the signs of nursing home sexual abuse, and can help families determine if their loved one has become a victim of this crime.

Legal Help

Nursing home sexual abuse is a disgusting crime, and the victims of nursing home sexual abuse need to be treated with sensitivity, dignity and compassion.  The nursing home abuse attorneys at Parker Waichman Alonso LLP will always treat the victims of nursing home abuse with the respect they deserve.  If you suspect a loved one has been the victim of nursing home sexual abuse, they have valuable legal rights.  Please fill out our online form for a free consultation from a qualified nursing home abuse attorney.