When you moved your spouse or parent into a Seattle nursing home or assisted living facility, you expected the staff to treat your loved one with care and dignity. A suspicion that the facility is mistreating your vulnerable family member can be hard to face, but you owe it to them to keep careful watch for warning signs of possible abuse or neglect.

There are many signals of potential problems at a nursing home, but here are five to watch out for. If you notice one or more of these things affecting your loved one during your visits, consider contacting an attorney.

• Your loved one is always sleeping or drowsy and seems disoriented with no explanation. This could be the result of a nurse overmedicating them or not keeping track of the side effects of a new medication.
• Their hygiene is poor and they show signs of not being bathed or dressed in clean clothes regularly.
• Unexplained injuries like broken bones, dislocated joints, bruises, etc.
• The person has lost weight quickly and/or seems dehydrated.

These are just a few examples. Any type of sudden deterioration in your relative’s condition after moving into a new nursing home could be due to neglect or outright abuse. If your loved one cannot communicate, it might be up to you to speak for them. Ask to talk to someone in management about your concerns. If they won’t give you straight answers or if things don’t improve right away, consider moving your loved one to another facility as soon as possible. Their health and safety must come first.