Nursing home abuse, neglect, and mistreatment is by no means acceptable. It doesn’t matter how resistant or difficult a senior person is, as there is no excuse for inflicting harm on someone. The negligence or abuse can be subtle, or quite obvious, depending on the nature of the mistreatment. The forms of nursing home abuse include physical abuse, mental abuse, emotional abuse, abandonment, neglect, sexual abuse, and financial exploitation. If you or your elderly loved one has been the victim of any kind of abuse or neglect while residing at a nursing home facility, as a team member from Disparti Law Group would offer, then now is the time to take action so that further incidents are prevented.
Physical Abuse
Any kind of physical contact that results in injury, whether unintentional or intentional, is categorized as physical abuse. A caregiver at the nursing home facility may hit, pinch, slap, forcefully grab, shove, push, punch, physically restrain, or otherwise cause physical harm to the resident. Signs that physical abuse may be happening to your loved one include unexplained wounds, broken bones, bruising, welts, scars, rope marks on wrists, broken eyeglasses, and more.
Psychological Abuse
Abuse is not just physical, as it can be mental and emotional too. A senior resident may endure swearing, yelling, humiliation, belittling, embarrassment, name-calling, insulting, and other attempts to control, isolate, or manipulate them. Loved ones are encouraged to be particularly wary of signs that mental and emotional abuse could be happening, and must take immediate steps to get their relative out of the abusive situation. As a nursing home abuse lawyer families trust from Disparti Law Group can attest, psychological abuse must be treated with a sense of urgency.
Abandonment and Neglect
Abandonment is similar to neglect, in that it happens when someone is intentionally deserted by a person who is responsible for overseeing their care. An elder may be abandoned by a nursing home worker through being discharged by the facility without confirming their future care and safety. Actions like these can have devastating consequences, as an elderly person may go without medication, food, water, and may not have the capacity to understand where they are or what has happened to them.
Sexual Abuse
Any unwanted contact or non consensual interactions are categorized under sexual abuse and assault. Seniors are particularly vulnerable to being the victims of sexual abuse because they may not have the capacity mentally or physically to give consent. Instances of sexual abuse may entail rape, groping, sexual assault, forced to watch sexual content, and other forms of unwanted touching.
Financial Exploitation
A caregiver at the nursing home facility may have access to a senior resident’s financial files, and may steal, transfer, or otherwise retain finances or personal property without the resident providing consent or knowing about it. Financial exploitation often occurs when caregivers take advantage of incapacitated or older individuals. If you notice forgeries on checks or legal documents, missing belongings, changes to a will or power of attorney, odd spending habits, or other financial red flags, then your senior loved one could be the victim of financial abuse.