Jordan
1 in 10 seniors over 60 years old have suffered abuse.
Are you worried about your loved one being a victim of nursing home abuse? How can you help your loved one if they are in a nursing home?
You need to hold the nursing home accountable for senior abuse. Learning the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect is the first step.
What Is Considered Neglect?
Neglect means failing to provide proper care for something. In this case, the ‘something’ is elderly people. Residents living in nursing homes are often abused and neglected by caretakers within the facility.
Neglect from nurses and other caretakers is not always intentional. Sometimes the nursing home’s understaffed or the nurse handles too many patients.
Abandonment and Self-Neglect
The term ‘abandonment’ refers to a caretaker, or nurse, leaving a resident alone in public. Self-negligence is when a senior loses the ability to care for themselves. Usually, the resident is not given assistive care, so this considered abuse from the nursing home.
Types of Abuse
By definition, elder abuse refers to mistreatment that occurs in residential facilities such as nursing homes, assisted living and board and care homes. Nursing abuse is a serious problem as the abuse or mistreatment of elders can lead to mental problems, serious illnesses, and even death. If you have a family member who is a nursing home abuse victim, you need an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer to learn your next steps. It’s important to know which type of nursing home abuse your loved one is suffering from so you can properly help them.
There are many forms of nursing home abuse. A few types are physical, verbal, financial, and sexual abuse.
Common Physical Abuse Signs
There are various physical signs abused elderly patients in nursing homes may display. Very common signs of neglect are broken injured bones or restraint markings. Fleas, lice, or dirt on the resident and strong smell of feces or urine are signs of neglect as well.
Sexual Abuse
This refers to contact with an elderly patient without their consent. The keyword is non-consensual acts.
Unwanted contact can mean groping the patient. It can also involve showing them pornographic material, too. If someone shows a nursing home patient a pornographic video without the patient’s consent, that’s sexual abuse.
Signs
Physical signs of sexual abuse include pelvic injury and bloodstains in the patient’s underwear. Emotional or behavioral signs of sexual abuse may include fear and anxiety. This will be apparent when the abuser is around.
Verbal Abuse
Verbal abuse is when a staff member of the nursing home makes a statement that causes the patient emotional distress or fear. Most employees are in a position of power over seniors, so it’s easy for them to abuse the patient.
Acts of verbal abuse include but are not limited to:
- Yelling or screaming
- Insulting or mocking
- Threats
- Silent treatment from the caretaker
Financial Abuse
Financial abuse means misusing or withholding an elderly person’s resources. Typically, the seniors’ money.
Common examples of financial abuse in nursing homes can include, but aren’t limited to:
- Forging resident’s signature
- Taking property or money
- Improper use of the power of attorney
Signs of Financial Abuse
It’s difficult to recognize signs of financial abuse. Signs may include the patient guarding their money or belongings. Missing money from the patient’s savings is often a sign, too.
Financial exploitation is often from people who don’t know the victim.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Learning to recognize signs of nursing home abuse and neglect can help avoid tragedies like death within nursing homes. You should understand what is considered neglect. Then you can recognize the signs and types of abuse.
Physical, sexual, and financial abuse are only three types of neglect seniors can suffer. Another type of abuse among the elderly is verbal abuse such as yelling or mocking the resident.
To learn more ways you can help seniors, keep checking out our website.
