Arizona Disability Advocates for Mental Abuse in Group Homes
Placing your child or other loved one in a residential group home is a difficult and emotional decision. Even if you know that a residential group home is the best decision and can provide your loved one with the care they need, it is still difficult to trust the care of a loved one to others. Group home staff members and administrators have a great amount of trust placed in them, and if they violate that trust in any way, they should be held accountable.
Often, some of the most damaging abuse that can happen in a group home produces no physical scars. Mental abuse is a largely underreported problem, because identifying and proving it can often be difficult.
If your child or other loved one resides in a group home in Phoenix, Glendale, Mesa or elsewhere in Maricopa County and you believe they have been the victim of mental abuse, you should contact an Arizona group home abuse attorney. A group home abuse lawyer can help make a case against both the staff members who perpetrated the abuse and the facility who allowed it to happen.
Pursuing action against the group home and its employees can not help your loved one receive compensation for their mental pain and suffering, but can also help to expose abusive practices and can help other group home residents avoid mental abuse in the future.
Causes of Mental Abuse
Caring for group home residents with physical or developmental disabilities requires high quality staff members with extensive training. Unfortunately, in order to save costs, group homes frequently hire staff members who are unqualified, do not provide proper training, and overwork their employees through understaffing.
All of these conditions can create a situation in which unqualified, overworked staff members commit mental abuse through yelling at residents and belittling them.
Signs of Mental Abuse
Mental abuse does not produce physical signs such as bruises or cuts, and therefore can often be difficult to identify. However, there are signs of mental abuse that a resident’s family members should always be on the lookout for. These include:
- Fear, anxiety, or depression
- Resignation, withdrawal, or non-responsiveness
- Anger or agitation
- Hesitation to talk openly
- Confusion or disorientation
- Denial
Responsibility for Mental Abuse
If mental abuse occurs, the person who is first and foremost responsible is the staff member who commits the abuse. However, while this staff member bears a large amount of the responsibility, the group home itself may also be at fault. Group homes may be found liable for the abuse if the conditions in their home, such as lack of training and understaffing, create an environment in which abuse can happen. In addition, if administrators knew mental abuse was occurring and allowed it to continue, they are also responsible for the abuse.
Contact an Arizona Group Home Abuse Lawyer
If your child or other loved one is a resident of a group home in Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale or elsewhere in Maricopa County, and they have been a victim of mental abuse, you should consult with an Arizona group home abuse lawyer to discuss your case. For more information, please visit http://www.grouphomeabuselawyer.com/
