Bully in a Care Home Medical Negligence Claims

Holding hand besomeonetotellPutting a relative in to a care home is no easy decision even coming to a stage when admitting a loved one may need extra help is challenging enough. As a nation people don’t like the thought of family members as getting old or needing more care than they can give, although it is not a taboo subject knowing that a loved one is suffering as they cannot provide adequate care may leave the family or care giver a feeling of sadness and anxiety. People want to feel that family and relatives will always be the way they are but as people age or illnesses gradually worsen they can need more care and attention than they may have needed before. Of course people want the best for their loved ones to ensure that they are looked after in the best possibly way, often the decision to put a family member in to a care home leaves a person feeling guilty and apprehensive as it is such a big decision.

Once the decision has been decided to put a close relate in to a care homes there still the choice of care home to be chosen which in itself is just as challenging. There are many care homes across the country most with impeccable standards but choosing the right care facilities for a loved one can be an agonising time. No person wants to make a mistake by choosing a care home that does not meet the needs of the relative or that has standards that are not of the highest. People want to ensure that whatever care home they decide on that it is the right chose for their loved one and that they will be cared for in a way they might care for them themselves.

Bullying of the Elderly and Vulnerable People & Neglect Claims

Bullying sign besomeonetotellAs loved ones get older some suffer ill health and as a result become vulnerable especially those who are affected by dementia and Alzheimer’s and for these reasons a lone need the care that should be provided by care home. However illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer’s mean that a person can be susceptible to the abuse and bullying that happens within care homes and old people’s home as there communication and memory is affected and they may not be able to tell loved ones of the treatment they are receiving. Also, people with serious disabilities especially those who do not have good communication skills find dill find it difficult to report such treatment which makes the bullies opportunities much greater. To find more information and guidance regarding health, safety and regulations of a care home or to make negligence claim against a care home do not hesitate to contact Medical Negligence Assist who will provide free confidential legal advice regarding your case. Putting a relative in to a care home may be difficult both on the family and the person in question. Medical Negligence can be a common problem in care homes from bullying to wrong medication and neglect. Their has been many successful medical malpractice claims against care homes in the UK.

No one makes the decision lightly and often the choice is taken out of the families hands as the loved one may need more help and care than the family are able to provide. In the past families have been known to take care of aging or poorly relatives even when their care has outweighed the ability of the carer. As time has gone on families are a lot more busier, there is a huge demand on people to perform better in all aspects of life which in itself is a good thing but with both parents often now going out to work it is a lot more difficult to manage family life. Elderly or relatives who have a disability who need specialist care can put huge pressures on families and they have no other choice but to seek residential care homes.  If you are looking on free legal advice on care home neglect and you are considering making a medical negligence claim its important to use a high quality UK medical negligence solicitors this way you could get your relatives the justice they deserve and also prevent this from happening to other patients at the care home.

There are shocking stories reported repeatedly in the news and tabloids of elderly and the most vulnerable people in society being treated appallingly, being bullied and abused at every opportunity as such horrid peoples who call themselves carers believe that such victims will not or do not have the ability to report such treatment.

Bullies who disguise themselves as carers prey on such defenceless people as they know that the treatment that they rain on residents of care homes will not be returned, bullies only mistreat people who they know have or cannot attack back.

Medical Neglect Scandals and Care Homes

The decision to put an elderly relative in to a care home is made extremely more difficult by the outrageous reputations and scandals that have hit the press regarding the poor treatment some residents of these care homes receive. Most people are reluctant to put relatives in to care homes as they are weary of the care that will be provided due to some care homes having bad reputations. Reported broadly by the BBC the unspeakable truth of events that have taken place within care homes which have been investigated by the Police and Care quality Commission due to the severity of reports and claims made have increased hugely. Residents of such care homes are profoundly disabled and have to rely on members of staff for almost everything and for this to be used against them is disgusting and there is no word that can describe such people who take advantage of a person’s disability and circumstances.

Some argue that the neglect suffered is due to the staff not being trained appropriately or not given sufficient training and equipment however it can be argued that a person can know the difference between right and wrong without being trained. Neglect that happens within care homes can mean that those who are already suffering are made to suffer even more.

You can visit the HSE website which had detailed guidance information and Care Quality Commission regulations.

Help Your Child Build Self Confidence

Any child who unfortunately experiences bullying will feel less confident than when bullying situation began. Building back up self-confidence is absolute key to solving any bullying situation and put a stop to it in the long term. Although any bullying situation may need the intervention of an adult whether that be a parent, teacher or a responsible adult designated to dealing with the circumstances the child will need confidence and self-worth to stop a bullying predicament reoccurring. Those children who possess high self-esteem and confidence are maybe less likely to experience bullying as they may come across as strong rather than weak.

Bullies tend to target children who are different i.e.

  • Smaller children –  children who are smaller than their peers seem to be open to bullying as they are seen as weak in terms of strength
  • Children considered overweight – we live in a nation of obesity so it should be a common occurrence to see children heavier than they should be but even children who are obese are still seen as different and lack confidence due to their weight. Children who are obese cannot participate in some activities due to their weight so are often left out. Bullies see obsess children as a target especially to name calling.
  • Intellectual children – this is a difficult one but bullies may feel intimidated by children that are clever and set out ways to find avenues to intimidate that child so that the bully feels superior. Children sometimes who are intellectually clever have poor social skills and a bully will use this to their advantage.
  • Poor interaction and social skills – children with who are non-assertive and lack in self-confidence are primary targets for any bully. Bullies know that children who are passive already have a low self-esteem and are unlikely to confront an adult and tell of this behaviour. Bullies themselves often lack self-esteem but by bulling a person with little or no confidence allows the bully to feel above such a person.

This is why building a child’s confidence and self-worth is vital even if there is no evidence of bullying as it makes the child more assertive and willing to learn and encourages progress or it can put a stop to any bullying that may occur in the future.

Building Self-Confidence

Children who have a high level of confidence very often can interact with others on any level and have good social skills especially when it comes to making friends. Dealing with difficult situation can be over bearing for those children who lack confidence and very often when they are put in a position by where they are being bullied they do not possess the skills to know how to deal with this type of behaviour.

Here are ways to help your child to build inner confidence:

  • Always tell you child how special and loved they are
  • Uniqueness is something to be valued and each and every child is different in their own way
  • Praise your child when praise is due and encourage them in all aspects of life
  • If a child is being bullied go through their experiences and show them outlets, responses, when to walk away, and when to inform a responsible adult
  • Selfdefence classes are an option especially if the child is encountering physical bullying
  • Help them to understand why bullies bully, that is it usually down to problems the bully faces itself

Different perspectives on bullying

Childs View

Children who are concerned with bulling are the most important aspects of the situation and they are not yet mature enough to know why bullying takes places. It can have detrimental effects on their lives without them even knowing. Children find it difficult to establish if they are actually being bullied or they are bullying another. Some are surprised when an action is redeemed as bullying.  Children who are bullying do not always recognise their behaviour as being bullying and intimidation but simply as a disagreement or argument. The one thing that is clear is that children recognise it is bullying if it is continuous and happens on more than one occasion.  Children who are being bullied too fail to recognise at first that they are actually being bullied it is not until the anxious and fearful fears take hold that they realise something isn’t right.

Professional Views – Teachers

Most schools take bullying very seriously as they are not only concerned about the child being bullied but also the reputation of the school as parents would not want to send their child to a school that is seen to allow bullying. It is true that it s not always clear to see what a school is doing to tackle the bullying as parents often comment that the school have no real force over bullies and if they did less bullying would take place. Teachers believe that if they can get a good relationship parents and open communication channels bullying can be kept at a limit. Teachers advertise that they are open and understanding to possible issues at home and if parents advise them on this they can deal with the situation to prevent the child feeling isolated and insecure therefore preventing a possible case of bullying.

Most teachers feel that bullying is usually due to a primary underlying concerns very often an issue at home or with fellow peers. It has been said that the way children behave whether good or bad has a legitimate reason and the child just needs to be understood. If the behaviour is deemed wrong then it is highly possible that it is ‘a cry for help’.  Children need to learn about boundaries and how to communicate with others on all levels if this type of teaching is not taught then the child can very easily run into behavioural difficulties such difficulties some teachers see as bullying.

Parents View

Parents dealing with bullying whether your child is the bully or being bullied find it to be a difficult time.  Being a parent is a learning process than comes without a manual or textbook and as children are unique so can situations they go through in life. Parents often feel anxious and helpless when dealing with bullying as they are at a loss on how to tackle it. Dealing with a bullying situation can be an emotional time and can have a huge impact on the whole family. There in no one set of instruction that tells a parent how to deal with a situation. Obviously there is help out there and guidance but they find it difficult to locate such services and not any one situation is the same and must be dealt with accordingly.

A parent may have been bullied when they was little and may notice the tell tale signs immediately  and know in fact how their child is feeling and have a better perspective on how to deal with it. For those parents who have never encountered such situation dealing with the issue may seem more difficult but remaining calm and understanding is key, even after the situation is dealt with the child will still need encouragement and support.

Dealing With a Child Who is Being Bullied

Very often a child who has been bullied will feel incredibly sad, fearful and probably scared and dealing with this situation can feel quite daunting to any parent. Listening to your child and understanding their fears is key inorder to progress to building the child’s confidence and this will have taken a massive knock. Differentiating between signs of bullying and a child simple telling tales can be sometimes be difficult but if you always take a child’s complaints serious and listen closely discovering the tell-tale signs will be much simpler. If a child is being bullied or intimidated it’s almost impossible for the child to turn it around as it is so fearful and in most circumstances the situation needs an adult, parent or teacher to intervene and solve the problem.

Dealing with a child’s feelings                        

According to specialists in this field a boy will deal with the fallout of bullying different to how a girl will deal with it. Boys tend to become angry and discontent if they are being bullied, they may take their anger out on other siblings if they have them or be more distant towards their parents. Whereas, girls tend to feel sad and rejected if they are unfortunate enough to experience bullying but both boys and girls will have a low self-esteem.

The actual degree of the fallout behaviour relies heavily on the amount of bullying a child is actually going through. If the child is showing an intense amount of anger or seems severely upset, withdrawn and depressed then this is a clear indicator that the child is receiving a large amount of bullying that is continuously rather than occasionally.

Naturally parents are very protective and will often go to any lengths when it comes to protecting their children especially from those who cause the child harm  and confronting the bullies seems like the primary action most parents would take however, this maybe more detrimental to the situation making the person doing the bullying a lot more angrier. The first step in any bullying situation is to establish how the victim is feeling and take this on board showing them that you recognise that their feelings are valid. Ensure that you let them know that whatever they are feeling is fine and that expressing how you feel will help others to understand the situation. If the child is feeling confused this is perfectly normal and trying to help them make any kind of sense of the behaviour of another child might contribute to the child understanding the position they are in.

Building a Picture of the Situation

Children may not express how they are feeling the way adults can, their language and dialogue are much more simpler and inorder for an adult to gain insight into the struggle the child is facing then they must come down to their level. Literally, bring yourself to your child’s height or even sit down next to each other as an adult bearing over a child can give them priority and dealing with bullying means the breaking down of hierarchal positions so the child feels comfortable. Choice of words should be chosen carefully so the child is aware of the meaning and understanding and can relate to them even if the conversation takes on roles as bully and victim.