Did you know that almost two million Americans live in long-term care facilities? While the goal of the vast majority of wonderful care facilities and care professionals is to take care of the elderly and needy as they are expected to, there are terrifying cases of nursing home abuse that do crop up from time to time.
The truth is that it can be hard to know what nursing home abuse looks like unless you are familiar with the signs. The signs are highly important because elderly abuse is not only a heinous crime but can also impact the lives of your loved ones in ways that you truly cannot understand.
For that reason, let’s break down the top signs of nursing home abuse so that you can make sure that your elderly loved ones are safe and sound.
Common types of abuse
One helpful tactic to being able to identify elderly and nursing home abuse is to be aware of the different forms in which it can take. For that reason, consider the most common forms in which nursing home abuse takes:
- Assault and battery, which includes slapping, punching, kicking, shaking, beating, slapping, threats, and other types of verbal and emotional abuse
- Unreasonable seclusion and/or physical restraint
- Use of any physical or chemical restraint (such as medication) for any purpose that has not been directed by a physician
- Lack of care for existing medical problems
- Prolonged or continual deprivation of food or water
- Rape or other forms of sexual assault or batter
Common signs of nursing home abuse
Now that you know the most common different forms that abuse takes, consider these signs as things that you want to absolutely look out for if you are worried that there is any foul play taking place.
- Wanting to be isolated, kept from others
- Unusual changes in behavior such as fear of being touched, rocking, biting, etc.
- Unsanitary and unclean living conditions
- Unexplained injuries such as bruises or welts, cuts, etc. in various stages of healing
- The unexplained or unexpected death of a resident
- Reluctance to speak in the presence of a specific or multiple staff residents
- Rapid weight loss or weight gain, signs of general malnutrition
- Bedsores (pressure sores)
- Malnutrition
- Instances of wandering or trying to escape off of campus
- Recurring infections
- Falls, fractures, or head injuries of any kinds
- Emotional swings, being upset or agitated quickly or extremely withdrawn
- Dehydration
- Bed injuries or asphyxiation
Conclusion
It can be scary to trust your beloved elderly family members in the hands of care professionals who you do not know. No matter how fantastic the reviews of a nursing home or elderly community are, you want to be sure that you are attentive to the needs of the people or persons living in the nursing home.
Now that you have some fantastic information regarding nursing home abuse, you will be able to identify any signs and make sure that your family is safe, sound, and happy.
