Causes of Elder Abuse in Oregon Nursing Homes: Portland Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers

What Causes Elder Abuse in Oregon Nursing Homes?  Our Portland Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Explain

Elder abuse is despicable and should not occur.  But unfortunately, there are still too many instances of elder abuse and it is not going away anytime soon.  There are five classifications of elder abuse, which are physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial fraud and exploitation, psychological abuse, and caregiver neglect.  According to government statistics, physical abuse occurs 1.6% of the time, sexual abuse .6% of the time, psychological abuse 4.6% of the time, caregiver neglect 5.1% of the time, and financial fraud and exploitation occurs 5.2% of the time.  Considering that there are estimated to now be over 4 million Americans in nursing homes, even this small percentage equates to a large number of victims.  Our Portland nursing home abuse lawyers explain the causes of elder abuse in Oregon nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

General Causes of Elder Abuse in Oregon Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

Residents in nursing homes are vulnerable to personal injuries due to nursing home abuse and neglect.  Many times these instances of abuse and neglect do not go reported.  Indeed, many criminal get away with their misconduct which only hurt our loved ones.  Yet, nursing homes have a duty of care to ensure the safety of all of its residents.  This duty of care applies to all residents including residents who may be more needy or in a more compromised position.  In these instances, nursing homes could be required to protect these residents better.

But unfortunately, this does not always happen.  Indeed, far too many nursing home residents are injured due to nursing home abuse and neglect.  Some of the most common causes of elder abuse in Oregon nursing homes include the following:

• Understaffing and inadequate staffing – when there is less staff to monitor the residence home, there are less people ensuring that all residents are protected.  This includes protection from guests and other residents, but also from staff that may want to harm or take advantage of residents.  Inadequate staffing is a serious issue in nursing homes which is usually a warning sign of other problems in nursing homes, especially nursing home abuse and neglect.
• Lack of supervision – the lack of supervision in a nursing home goes hand-in-hand with understaffing issues.  This lack of supervision could be caused by understaffing, but it could also be caused by a lack of proper care and treatment from providers.  Indeed, there could be negligent and reckless providers who just fail at monitoring residents for harm.
• Burnout – staff members who are burned out are more likely to simply not care about their job and what is happening.  This means that residents could be facing serious issues when employees don’t care.  Residents could be harmed by the lack of effort by staff and suffer serious personal injuries when staff are burned out.
• Greed – staff members could also want more money than they are making or feel aggrieved by their salary and what their residents might have.  Jealous can greed could result in financial exploitation or even physical altercation against the residents.
• Bad hiring decisions – there are just some “bad applies” that are bent on hurting people.  This needs to be evaluated the best the nursing home can to ensure that residents are not harmed by these bad actors that can seriously harm or kill a resident.

Victims of Nursing Home Abuse in Oregon Should Ask our Portland Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers For Help

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of nursing home abuse or neglect contact the Oregon Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.  

Our law firm handles cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Sisters, Madras, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, La Grande, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton,  Cottage Grove, Florence, Oregon City, Springfield, Keizer, Grants Pass, McMinnville, Tualatin, West Linn, Forest Grove, Wilsonville, Newberg, Roseburg, Lake Oswego, Klamath Falls, Happy Valley, Tigard, Ashland, Milwakie, Coos Bay, The Dalles,  St. Helens, Sherwood, Central Point, Canby, Troutdale, Hermiston, Silverton, Hood River, Newport, Prineville, Astoria, Tillamook, Lincoln City, Hillsboro, and Vancouver, Washington.  

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take Nursing Home Abuse cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.