When you place a loved one in a nursing home, you expect that they’ll be treated with dignity and that they’ll be kept safe while receiving adequate care. Yet, in far too many instances, nursing homes and their employees act in egregious ways that harm residents. Sometimes this takes the form of neglect, such as when residents aren’t moved enough to avoid bedsores or when they aren’t provided adequate nutrition, but other times these residents are abused by nursing home staff. Let’s take a closer look at how this abuse can occur.
The different types of nursing home abuse
Although most people think of physical abuse when they think about nursing home abuse, that isn’t the only type. Here are some of the main types of abuse that your loved one may be subjected to in a nursing home:
- Physical abuse: We know this is the most common type, but it’s worth mentioning again given its prevalence and its seriousness. In many instances, nursing home staff become frustrated with their work or a specific resident and take out their anger by punching, slapping, or kicking a resident. This, of course, can result in serious injuries, including broken bones. If you spot unexpected and unexplained bruising or bleeding, or if your loved one suffers a serious injury that the nursing home can’t adequately explain, then you should start asking questions of your loved one and other nursing home residents. You might also want to see if you can get your hands on security footage if the facility has it.
- Emotional abuse: This type of abuse may be more prevalent than physical abuse. Here, nursing home staff berate a resident, isolate them from other residents, prevent them from seeing family members and friends who come to visit, make threats against them, belittle them, make fun of them, treat them like a child, or continuously yell and shout at them to cause them fear. If your loved one has become more withdrawn and they exhibit fear or nervousness around nursing home staff, then red flags should be raised. Any significant changes in your loved one’s demeanor should be taken seriously, as they could be a sign that your loved one is being emotionally abused.
- Sexual abuse: Many nursing home residents are unable to protect themselves when they’re attacked. This is also true when they’re sexually assaulted. Residents who are bedridden and who have cognitive delays or memory issues can be especially susceptible, as these residents are less able to fight back, may struggle to speak, and may not be taken seriously if they report an assault. Therefore, be on the lookout for depression and isolation, changes in your loved one’s mood, reactions to seeing a member of the nursing home staff, unexplained injuries near their breasts or genitals, unexplained bleeding from the genitals, and difficulty sleeping, which could be indications that your loved one has been abused.
- Financial abuse: This type of abuse can be perpetrated by a member of the nursing home’s staff or by a family member. Here, the perpetrator gains access to the resident’s bank account and uses it for their own financial gain, or they create powers of attorney that allow them to make financial decisions on the resident’s behalf, which then favors the perpetrator’s financial standing. If you see unexpected and unexplained activity on your loved one’s bank account, see the addition of someone new on their accounts, observe sudden changes to their estate plan, or that their bills are going unpaid, then you should start asking questions.
Do you suspect that your loved one has been subjected to elder abuse?
If so, then now is the time to ask questions, gather evidence, and build an aggressive legal argument that seeks to protect your loved one. That might sound easy enough, but the process can be more complicated than you think. That’s why it’s important that you read up on the nursing home abuse legal process and what you can do to position your loved one for success on one of these claims.