Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Is a Major Problem in the US
Many thousands of elderly persons are victims of nursing home abuse and neglect every year in the United States. Nursing home abuse is surprising because these homes are supposed to be regularly inspected by the state and are supposed to live up to certain staffing standards.
Elder abuse can come in several different forms. There is physical abuse which includes not only physical assaults such as hitting or shoving but also the inappropriate use of drugs, restraints, or confinement. Emotional abuse includes intimidation through yelling, threats, humiliation, ridicule, habitual blaming, scape goating, ignoring and terrorizing the elder.
Unfortunately there are reported cases of sexual abuse which can involve physical sex acts and activities such as showing an elderly person pornographic material, forcing the person to watch sex acts or forcing the elder to undress. Neglect is another form of abuse where a patient is left alone without help for daily needs such as the bathroom or even food.
The clues to physical abuse in a nursing home are generally any signs of injury such as bruises, welts, or scars, broken bones, sprains, or dislocations, report of drug overdose or apparent failure to take medication regularly (a prescription has more remaining than it should) and signs of being restrained, such as rope marks on wrists.
Some signs of emotional abuse can include threatening, belittling or controlling caregiver behavior that you witness. Behavior from the elderly person that is similar to dementia, such as rocking, sucking, or mumbling.
Sexual abuse may entail bruises around breasts or genitals, unexplained venereal disease or genital infections and unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding.
Signs of nursing home neglect may be unusual weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, untreated physical problems, bed sores and unsanitary living conditions such as dirt, bugs, soiled bedding and clothes and being left dirty.
This is not an exhaustive list of nursing home abuse signs but certainly some of the obvious ones. If you believe that your loved one is being abused or maltreated you can report it to the Dept. of Elderly Affairs in your state. Many of these forms of nursing home abuse are criminal activities, and if you feel a crime has been committed, you need to contact the police. There are legal actions that can be taken against the nursing home if you have proof of abuse and you need to contact a nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible if you believe this has occurred.
Comments
My father just suffered terrible medical neglect and abuse. He was refused his sleep mask (he was a CO2 retainer) and called 911 at midnight after they left him at the nurses station without his mask. They then took away his cell phone which he refused to give up to the moment he died on July 5. This was at the Life Care Center of Raynham MA.
Posted by: denise slifer | July 17, 2010 5:38 PM