Unfortunately,
some of the most vulnerable people are at the highest risk of getting abused.
This includes seniors living in a nursing home. According to recent
statistics, one in 10 elderly peopleover the age of
60 are believed to have been abused, with 5 million elders getting abused each
year.
Sadly,
these numbers might be even higher due to the fact that these cases often go
unreported. Many of these seniors get abused in a nursing home. Perpetrators
include family members, other residents, and nursing home staff. When a senior is
abused, it can increase their chances of death by 300% .
If
your loved one is in a nursing home and you are alarmed by this information,
one of the first things you can do to protect them is to understand nursing
home abuse. Here are three types of nursing home abuse signs to look for.
1.
Physical Abuse
Of
all the types of nursing home abuse, this physical abuse accounts for 27.4% of
the complaints. Physical abuse is commonly caused by caregivers who do not have
proper training or in nursing homes that are understaffed.
Active
physical abuse includes things like hitting, pushing, or punching an elder.
This type of abuse causes pain and injury. Another type of physical abuse is a
misuse of restraints. This happens when nursing home residents are restrained
for too long or are restrained unnecessarily.
Signs
of physical abuse include:
- Unexplained
bruises or other types of injuries
- Abrasions
or red marks on the skin caused by restraints
- Broken
eyeglasses
Sometimes,
physical abuse is unintentional, but other times it is caused by caregivers who
become frustrated with the resident. Besides staff and other caregivers, family
members and other residents can physically abuse nursing home patients.
2.
Psychological Abuse
Also
considered emotional abuse, psychological abuse accounts for 19.4% of all
nursing home abuse complaints. When staff, family members, or caregivers
intimidate, ridicule, yell, or cause a nursing home resident to feel emotional
anguish, it is considered psychological abuse.
This
type of abuse can be either verbal or nonverbal, and it is known to cause
emotional damage and a decline in health. Psychological abuse is not as easy to
identify as physical abuse, but some key signs to look for include:
- Withdrawal
from activities
- Depression
or seeming hopeless
- Trouble
sleeping
- Sudden
onset of unusual behaviors including rocking or sucking
Nursing
home residents who experience psychological abuse might also appear agitated or
start having irrational fears. They might stop interacting with others or
refuse to speak to their perpetrators.
3.
Gross Neglect
The
other primary type of nursing home abuse is gross neglect, which accounts for
15.3% of all abuse complaints in a nursing home. When a caregiver, staff, or
family member doesn't properly care for a nursing home resident, it can be
considered neglect. This is done either intentionally or unintentionally, due
to lack of training.
Some
of the most common types of nursing home neglect include not feeding residents
enough food, not giving them enough to drink, not changing their clothes or
bedding on a regular basis, and not providing a safe place for them to live.
Common signs of gross neglect include:
- Poor
personal hygiene such as bad breath or unwashed hair
- Malnourishment
or dehydration
- Bedsores
or unexplained injuries
- Loss of
mobility due to lying in bed too much
Along
with physical issues, gross neglect can also cause nursing home residents to
have emotional problems such as fear, anger, and distancing themselves from
loved ones.
If
your loved one is in a nursing home and you see any of these signs of nursing
home abuse, contact the Law Offices of Janice Maloney. In order to
have the best possible chance of protecting your loved one, it's imperative to
contact us right away.
