Dedicated Elder Emotional Abuse Attorney in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Emotional elder abuse is a damaging form of abuse that can cause psychological discomfort, mental agony, and deteriorating health in a population that is already vulnerable. Although emotional abuse is not physical, it can nonetheless cause a victim severe harm. No family anticipates that an older family member may be the victim of emotional or psychological abuse.
According to statistics, however, this is the most prevalent kind of elder abuse. Thankfully, there are actions you can do to prevent this type of harm. If you suspect your loved one is a victim of emotional elder abuse, our dedicated emotional abuse attorney in Green Bay, WI from Silver Divorce Wisconsin can assist.
Why Do I Need an Elder Emotional Abuse Attorney in Wisconsin?
Elder emotional abuse is any type of verbal or nonverbal treatment that causes psychological harm to an older adult. It can include yelling, name-calling, threatening, manipulating, isolating, and ignoring. Elder emotional abuse can also take the form of financial exploitation or elder neglect.
Elder emotional abuse is often perpetrated by family members or caregivers, but it can also be perpetrated by strangers. Regardless of who the abuser is, the effects of elder emotional abuse can be devastating.
If you think your loved one is being emotionally abused, it’s important to get help right away. Our elder emotional abuse attorney in Green Bay, WI can investigate the situation and help you get the protection your loved one needs.
What is Elder Emotional Abuse?
Emotional abuse of the elderly occurs when a senior citizen (someone 65 or older) is harmed by nonphysical wrongdoings, such as verbal harassment, insults, neglect, malnutrition, or general maltreatment. Emotional abuse can take both vocal and nonverbal forms. Additionally, it might be purposeful or unintended.
Those in positions of power or control over victims, such as caretakers, nursing home employees, workers from assisted living institutions, and nurses, frequently commit elder emotional abuse. Emotional abuse can also be perpetrated by those close to the senior, such as friends, family members, and loved ones.
How Widespread is Elder Abuse?
While most of us cannot picture hurting an elderly person, elder abuse is a continuous and rising problem. In reality, it is believed that at least 2.5 million senior citizens in the United States suffer from elder abuse. While adult children and other family members are the most common perpetrators of elder abuse, one-third of nursing home patients report being abused in their facility.
Emotional abuse is one of the most prevalent kinds of abuse. This is especially concerning because emotional abuse might be more difficult to detect than physical abuse.
What Are the Different Types of Elder Emotional Abuse?
Anything that causes an old person mental pain and suffering, whether vocal or nonverbal, is termed emotional abuse. If you suspect that your senior loved one is suffering from any of the following, please contact our caring elder emotional abuse attorney in Green Bay, WI immediately.
Verbal Form of Emotional Abuse
Verbal emotional abuse may consist of:
- Insulting, ridiculing, or making fun of the victim, as well as calling him names
- Loudly addressing the victim
- Threatening the patient
- Intimidation of the patient
- Being condescending or treating the patient like a child in conversation
- The act of humiliating a patient in front of other patients
- Scapegoating and accusing the patient with the purpose to make him feel bad
- Being cruel and vicious
Nonverbal Form of Emotional Abuse
Examples of nonverbal emotional abuse include:
- Refusing or withholding affection
- The patient is receiving the quiet treatment
- Pretending to bring bodily injury to the patient
- Isolating the patient from others and restricting her from communicating or interacting socially
- Ignoring patient care
- Treating the patient like a little child
- Restricting the patient’s access to food, drink, and the restroom
- Taking away or concealing the patient’s personal belongings
Emotional abuse of the elderly can result in severe psychological problems such as fear, sorrow, agitation, and anxiety. As a result of missing prescriptions, malnutrition, and other consequences of elder abuse, the victim’s health may deteriorate as a result of the abuse. Your loved one may never again resemble the person you knew before the abuse.
Relocating a loved one to a new nursing home can be costly, and counseling or other sorts of therapy to assist the loved one may incur additional costs. For the sake of justice and to protect future residents from the same injury, it is vital to report probable emotional abuse.
PROTECT YOUR LOVED ONES
Abuse and neglect are never okay. Get the protection you need to keep your loved ones comfortable and safe.
What Are the Possible Reasons Why Elder Emotional Abuse Happens?
The elderly residents of a nursing home rely on others for assistance with everyday duties. Their reliance on staff for medicine as well as aid with dressing and washing renders them susceptible to abuse. Many nursing facilities lack sufficient personnel. Staff shortages may cause them to be short-tempered and impatient with your elderly loved one. Low salaries and staffing shortages in nursing homes are neither your fault nor that of your loved one.
If you visit your loved one and hear yelling and other types of emotional abuse, you should move your loved one and inform us at Silver Divorce Wisconsin. Our knowledgeable elder emotional abuse attorney in Green Bay, WI is always ready to help.
What Are the Common Signs of Elder Emotional Abuse?
It is not always simple to spot the emotional abuse of a family member by nursing home workers. Emotional abuse is simpler to mask than physical abuse, resulting in visible bruises or other indicators. By observing your loved one’s behavior closely, you can establish if they have been subjected to emotional abuse.
According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, the following are indicators of emotional abuse:
- Depression
- Removing oneself from friends, family, and activities
- Agitation
- Allegations of abuse
Most likely, your loved one is in a nursing home because they require more care than you can offer. You believe that the management and employees of the nursing home will give the finest care available. Changes in your loved one’s behavior, hobbies, and routines indicate that they are being purposely harmed. Do not rely on your loved one to tell you about their experiences. They probably fear retaliation if they disclose the abuse.
If you think that your loved one’s emotional, psychological, and physical health issues are due to emotional abuse, seek justice. Call us at Silver Divorce Wisconsin so we can discuss your legal options.
What is Intimidation?
The elderly are among the most vulnerable members of our nation’s population. You must take action when nursing home personnel engage in abusive conduct, such as intimidation. You can assist in safeguarding your vulnerable loved one and others like them if you serve as their voice. Immediate legal representation is required to end the behavior and hold the nursing facility responsible for its personnel and negligence.
Whether the responsible staff is undertrained or overworked has no bearing on your legal action. The effects of intimidation on the elderly extend far beyond their psychological health. Let us assist you if a loved one has faced intimidation. Call our Green Bay elder emotional abuse attorney today.
What Are Examples of Elderly Intimidation and Its Implications?
Intimidation is a sort of mental and psychological abuse that, if left unchecked, can result in severe physical problems. Due to despair or fear of their caregivers, your elderly relative may refuse to eat, take their meds, or wash. One or more of the following are examples of probable intimidation at a nursing home:
- Addressing your loved one with a loud and furious tone of voice
- Acting as if they were about to attack them
- Denying them their favorite items
- Threatening punishments if they do not comply
Your loved one is likely reluctant to share this information with you out of fear. You may observe a change in your loved one’s tone of voice or behavior. This is particularly true if the abusive employee enters the room. These are indicators that something is wrong and that your loved one may be in danger.
The transition to a nursing home is tough for many individuals. We urge you to seek justice with us when the staff abuses you unpleasantly and inappropriately. Your loved one deserves not just monetary recompense, but also to know that someone held the nursing facility accountable for their injuries.
What to Do If You Suspect Emotional and Psychological Abuse Against Your Senior Loved One?
Suppose you feel that your senior loved one is being subjected to emotional or psychological abuse. In that case, you should contact our skilled Green Bay elder emotional abuse attorney at Silver Divorce Wisconsin to explore your options and formulate a strategy. You will need to document probable instances of elder abuse and interview your senior loved one for testimony on the abuse.
If necessary, the elder’s written account of such occurrences can be presented as courtroom evidence in the future. If the emotional and psychological abuse is accompanied by physical or financial abuse, please supply documentation of these as well. This will help us develop your case.
How is Elder Emotional Abuse Treated?
Emotional abuse of the elderly can reflect physically and result in a rapid decline of health and psychological effects. Priority number one is to promptly remove sufferers from the hazardous environment. In addition, the victim may need counseling to help them cope with the emotional impacts of their abuse. Oftentimes, all the elderly need to feel better is someone to converse with.
On occasion, physicians may prescribe medications to ease the effects of emotional abuse. A person could be prescribed sleeping pills or tranquilizers if they were tormented and subjected to persistent terror and wrath by the offender.
Can You File a Lawsuit for Emotional Abuse of the Elderly?
A victim of elder emotional abuse might bring a civil lawsuit (a claim for personal injury) against one or more individuals to seek monetary compensation for losses. A lawsuit for elder abuse may be filed against the perpetrator of the abusive action, such as a family member or caregiver. In cases involving institutional or employee abuse cases, the institution can potentially be held liable.
If the emotional abuse was perpetrated by a member of the nursing home’s staff member, for instance, the nursing home may be held vicariously accountable. A successful legal action for elder emotional abuse may result in the victim receiving monetary damages or compensation. The possible damages can include any connected medical expenses, such as psychological treatment or counseling, as well as costs associated with relocating the victim or finding a new caretaker.
Additionally, the victim may be entitled to pain and suffering and punitive damages. While no amount of money will repair injuries or trauma caused by emotional elder abuse, a lawsuit can help the victim move ahead with less financial burden and hold the perpetrator responsible.
What Are the Pieces of Evidence That You Need to Strengthen Your Case?
When filing a lawsuit for emotional abuse, you can work with our skilled elder emotional abuse attorney in Green Bay, WI to collect the required evidence to establish liability. While the evidence required to show emotional abuse can vary depending on the circumstances, you can frequently gain a more complete understanding of what may be occurring at a nursing home by:
- Documentation describing your relationship with the patient involved
- Medical documents
- Medical expenses
- Witness accounts
- Audiovisual or photographic proof
With this proof in hand, you may define the compensation to which you may be entitled and file a case with a local court.
What Are the Recoverable Damages for Elder Emotional Abuse That Resulted in Wrongful Death?
If emotional abuse causes or contributes to the wrongful death of your loved one, you may also claim damages with the assistance of our Green Bay elder emotional abuse attorney. We can evaluate your case to determine the type of compensation you can obtain on behalf of your loved one. If you succeed in your civil case, monetary rewards might be used to pay the following:
- Final medical costs incurred by the decedent
- Costs associated with the funeral, cremation, or burial of a loved one
- Loss of your companionship with a loved one
- The emotional agony and suffering your family and loved ones have undergone
We can assist you in identifying further losses for which you may be entitled to compensation and determining how much you should seek in a settlement or court award.
What Are the Punitive Damages for Elder Emotional Abuse Lawsuit?
It is also possible for our professional elder emotional abuse attorney in Green Bay, WI to seek punitive damages if it is determined that a nursing home or caregiver violated a senior’s right to care severely. Courts often assess these damages if you want to pursue your lawsuit at that level. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), punitive damages may be awarded in emotional abuse cases to deter future negligent or abusive behavior.
You cannot let the alleged emotional abuse of an elderly person go unanswered. You can sue for emotional damages if you feel a loved one suffered emotional abuse in a nursing home or while under the care of a caregiver. We want to guarantee that you and your family members are not injured further at this trying time. We can speak with you to learn more and completely understand how we can assist you today.
How to Prevent Elder Emotional Abuse?
It is essential to prevent emotional and psychological abuse of your senior loved one. If your senior loved one is moving into a nursing home or will be spending a significant amount of time at a healthcare facility, it is essential to evaluate the facilities and compare prices. Some nursing facilities have a documented history of abuse. Visit your senior loved one frequently to ensure that he or she is receiving sufficient care.
Certain indicators of emotional and psychological abuse, such as a change in behavior, may need a deeper examination of the care provided (and the caregivers involved in the treatment).
How Can Our Green Bay Elder Emotional Abuse Attorney Help?
Nursing facilities are responsible for the safety of their residents. Our Green Bay elder emotional abuse attorney can initiate legal action against them if they fail to fulfill this obligation. To safeguard their image in the community, an insurance company representing the nursing home may pay your loved one a settlement. Do not take it.
The nursing facility and its insurance officials wish for you and your case to disappear. The initial offer made to you is often a low-dollar sum that preserves the insurance company’s and nursing home’s best interests. Protect your loved one’s legal rights by retaining legal counsel from us at Silver Divorce Wisconsin. Regardless of the number of times the management may apologize for what happened to your loved one, maintain your resolve.
As a paying client of the institution, your loved one did not deserve verbal and nonverbal abuse. Seeking potential compensation makes the nursing home accountable for its staff’s lack of supervision, training, and irresponsibility.
Contact Our Law Firm Today
There is nothing anybody can do to undo the tragedy of emotional elder abuse. However, in your time of need, our team of attorneys will conduct a comprehensive investigation into the individual or institution where the abuse occurred. Insurance firms, hospitals, nursing homes, and other locations where elder abuse happens have a heightened need to care for our elderly siblings.
In addition to ensuring that you or your loved one are handled with the utmost respect and care, Silver Divorce Wisconsin will also ensure that their abuse never occurs again. Please call us immediately to understand how we can assist you and to talk with our elder emotional abuse attorney in Green Bay, WI.
