Residents or their families can take key steps to identify patterns of abuse and prevent them. To notice the early signs of abuse it is crucial to stay in contact with your loved one. Red flags may manifest as physical signs on the body or behavioral changes. If you notice anything that raises suspicion, contact a specialized lawyer.
What Qualifies as Nursing Home Abuse?
Nursing home abuse ranks as a common occurrence because medical staff members invariably include those with hidden agendas. Some staff members hope to profit from seniors that have become forgetful. Others enjoy exerting control over other people’s lives, and some engage in predatory sexual behavior.
Nursing home abuse includes both intentional and unintentional harm, and residents often have nowhere to turn. The abusers often have practical control of residents’ lives. Improper training, understaffing, and job burnout contribute to the abusive activity. The results of abuse include medical trauma, psychological torment, development of side effects, and possible death.
Nursing Home Abuse Statistics
About a third of nursing home patients have suffered episodes of mental or physical abuse. Astonishingly, two out of three nursing home staff members admit to occasionally abusing residents. About 85% of nursing homes report at least one case of abuse or neglect.
The abuse might simply consist of negligence. Negligence becomes particularly insidious when patients depend totally on staff members for basic needs, comfort, and recreation. Many people suffered and died because of staff neglect during the Covid-19 quarantine.
A revealing NPR report found that 97% of abuse cases across five states went unreported to local law enforcement. Abuse cases in nursing homes require mandatory reports to local law enforcement. However, in many cases, there is no obvious evidence of abuse.
Many staff members abuse their patients mentally and emotionally, and there are no physical signs as proof. Physical abuse, however, certainly happens as well. Common physical abuse includes kicking, pinching, slapping, punching, and delaying services like cleaning up after incontinence.
Typical examples of emotional abuse include yelling, name-calling, publicly embarrassing the victim, and belittling any accomplishments. According to an article, emotional abuse might also include the following:
- Making threats
- Treating patients like children
- Exhibiting patronizing or sarcastic attitudes
- Insisting on controlling patient finances
- Lecturing patients on proper behavior
- Digital spying on internet activity
- Exploding with rage about common behavior
Theft of Patient Resources
According to a post by the World Health Organization (WHO), theft is a big problem in nursing homes. Other patients and staff members can take advantage of patients and their financial resources. Crooked people can trick patients into giving them valuable property and cash.
If that doesn’t work, attempts to threaten the patients are often employed. Tricky acts include identity theft, misuse of credit cards and checkbooks, theft of credit cards, and convincing elderly patients to add the thief in their wills.
Nursing home residents have the right to sue living assistance facilities for abuse. Reporting your suspicions usually triggers an investigation. Contact the Pintas & Mullins Law Firm for further information or to schedule a consultation.
Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
The signs of emotional or physical abuse are easy to detect even if the patient can’t communicate well. If you pay close attention, you can identify the following symptoms of abuse:
- Increased patient anxiety or depression
- Unexplained bruises and welts on the body or genital areas
- Development of STDs or parasites like lice
- Inappropriate physical contact with a staff member
- Signs of substance abuse
- Bedsores
- Signs of dehydration or malnourishment
- New or worsening infections
- Opening new bank accounts or credit cards
- Onset of violent behavior
- Changes to power of attorney or financial management details
Final Thoughts
If you detect signs of abuse, you can contact your state’s branch of Adult Protective Services or Long-Term Care Ombudsman program. You can also hire an attorney to investigate the matter. It is essential to acknowledge the signs and to take active steps to address the situation to prevent things from further escalating.
Author:
Kyle Hambright is a passionate writer proudly representing pintas.com. He has focused his legal career on personal injury cases, and throughout his practice, Kyle has helped people from all walks of life. This determination transpires in his writings as well. His articles translate the complex web of legal jargon into accessible text. Readers not only gain a firm grasp on theory, but they also learn how to put it into practice.
