Nursing Home Abuse

Approximately 1.5 million of our elderly citizens live in nursing homes, and this number is on the rise. During their 'golden years,' our parents and grandparents should be cared for with kindness, tenderness and respect. But tragically, nursing home abuse is one of our country's most serious and prevailing problems.

There are different forms of nursing home abuse, the most prevalent being negligence. A study conducted by the U.S. General Accounting Office revealed that more than half of the questionable nursing home deaths studied were most likely due to neglect, including malnutrition and dehydration. When a nursing home facility fails to provide the proper care dictated by law, negligence has occurred. Signs of negligence include deprivation of food and water, failure to assist in personal hygiene, failure to provide medical care, failure to prevent malnutrition and failure to protect from health and safety hazards.

Physical abuse is more overt in nature. Common signs include battery, sexual assault, rape, unreasonable physical constraint, and administration of chemicals not prescribed by a physician.

But nursing home abuse isn't limited to neglect or physical actions. Psychological abuse can seriously damage a resident's emotional well-being. Insults, humiliation, threats, agitation or forced room confinement are characteristics of psychological abuse.

Financial or material exploitation is also considered nursing home abuse. This is characterized by the illegal or improper use of a resident's property or assets.

Even if you are satisfied with your loved one's current nursing home, remember that staff members or conditions within the home may change. Therefore, you should always be on the lookout for any warning signs of abuse, including the following:

• Resident seems heavily medicated or sedated
• Unexplained burns, cuts, fractures, bruises or other ailments
• Bedsores
• Unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding
• Torn, stained or bloody underclothing
• Frequent genital infections
• Sudden changes in behavior such as withdrawal, sucking, biting, rocking, agitation, depression, etc.
• Delays or refusals in allowing visitors to see resident
• Visitors not allowed alone with resident
• Loss of resident's possessions
• Sudden large withdrawals from bank accounts
• Unexpected change in will or other financial document
• Resident has experienced sudden weight loss or weight gain
• Resident died unexpectedly or without apparent cause
• Resident is frequently ill, and symptoms are not immediately reported to the doctor and family

If someone you care about has been abused or neglected, please fill out our Case Review Contact Form to the right on this page to find out what your case is worth.

To find out more about other cases we handle, select another case type on your left.

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