Nursing home abuse incidents occur far too frequently to the most vulnerable group of people, senior citizens. Elderly abuse, nursing home negligence, and nursing home abuse take on different forms of abuse to seniors, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and sexual abuse. It's difficult to believe anyone would cause physical or emotional harm to the elderly, but it happens more often than you may think. Nursing home staff and caregivers may not be adequately trained to provide the proper care for the elderly or be trained on how to handle unique mental or physical conditions of a patient. Nursing home staff may also be under-paid, overworked, or have mental problems of their own which they may take out on an elderly patient. When elderly abuse happens to someone you love and care about, your entire family suffers.
Often, members of a family may not even recognize nursing home abuse is occurring. A family may instead naturally believe their elderly loved one is simply suffering from the effects of aging or a medical condition. To make matters worse, the elderly victims may be afraid to speak up, think nobody will believe their story of abuse, or simply not even realize they are being victimized. The elderly abuse victim may even believe he or she is at fault for the abuse. Naturally, if someone you care about is reporting abuse, you should investigate the allegations. However, what if your loved one doesn't report abuse to you? In situations like this, there are symptoms of nursing home abuse to be aware of.
Physical abuse signs:
- Unexplained cuts
- Unexplained bruises
- Unexplained burns
- Sprains
- Broken bones
- Bed sores
- Dehydration
- Poor hygiene
- Malnutrition
- Unsanitary living conditions
- Soiled bed
- Unexplained weight loss
- Medical conditions that are not being taken care of
If you suspect a loved one is the victim of nursing home abuse, nursing home neglect, or elder abuse, please contact a qualified nursing home abuse attorney such as Dr. Bruce Fagel right away. Seniors and those adults who are dependent on the care of others require the strongest protection from abuse and neglect.
