Montgomery Dementia Care Units Lawyer

Dementia is not a disease in itself but a term used to describe older individuals who develop cognitive problems as they age. 

Determining if your loved one has been abused or neglected in a dementia care unit can be complicated because of the above manifestations. Because those suffering with dementia cannot easily differentiate between the present and the past or between the real and the imagined, it can be difficult to discern the truth. However, in many cases, those with dementia are taken advantage of for these very reasons by untrustworthy individuals. Furthermore, dementia patients may not report any wrongdoing because they don’t remember it, don’t have the awareness to know that it is happening, or fear no one will believe them. 

Dementia can consist of :

• Short-term and long-term memory loss
• Difficulty communicating
• Difficulty solving problems or making decisions
• Difficulties with the ability to think
• Impaired judgment
• Difficulty doing familiar tasks
• Time and space disorientation
• Misplacing items
• Inappropriate emotional reactions, such as antagonism and anger
• Paranoia
• Delusions

The best way to discover or prevent your loved one from being the victim of abuse or neglect in a dementia care unit or facility is to maintain close observation and understand the signs that would point to such behavior by staff and others. These signs can indicate physical, emotional, sexual, and financial abuse. They range from malnutrition and dehydration to bruising, broken bones, bedsores, unexplained emotional responses to caregivers to indicators of overmedication, restraint, depression, and more. Where possible, it is vital to document such abuse or neglect with photos and other evidence.