A sad fact is that elder abuse is often at the hands of their caregivers – even family members. It could be an assigned caregiver or an adult son or daughter living with their aging parent and taking advantage of the situation.
Here is everything you need to know about elderly abuse and what you can do about it.
Elder Abuse – What Can Go On in Nursing Homes?
Elder abuse in nursing homes refers to a failure to act or any intentional act that can cause harm to an adult who is older than 60. Unfortunately, elder abuse can be more common than you can believe. According to a rough estimate, 10% of elderly people over the age of 65 experience abuse every year.
It is important to mention here that these elderly people are three times more likely to die as a result of the abuse. Only a few cases of abuse or neglect get reported, which is why you should understand the types of abuse that your loved one can face at a nursing home.
In many cases, the victims of elderly abuse might be unaware of what is happening to them. This aspect includes that the family members of potential elder abuse victims need to look out for the signs of them getting abused or neglected and take steps to protect those they love.
What Are the Different Types of Abuse
There are several types of elder neglect and abuse, some of which are listed below:
Physical Abuse
Despite being reported by some elders in the USA, physical abuse is one of the most underreported forms of elder abuse. Physical abuse can include all forms of physical harm or violence that can injure the older person. Physical abuse can exist in the form of slapping, shoving, and scratching.
Psychological Abuse
Psychological abuse is about the situations that can occur at nursing homes where the elderly feel demeaned, belittled, or intimated through words or actions. Usually, the victims of mental abuse experience feeling attacked in their mental and emotional health instead of sustaining physical injuries.
Read Also:- Why am I so Emotional?
Physical abuse can cause your loved one to go through stress, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
Read Also:- How to Improve Your Mental Health with Meditation?
Psychological abuse can take several forms:
Verbal Abuse
Verbal abuse is about the abuser bullying, harassing, or yelling at the victim.
Psychological Torture
Psychological torment is about the abuser blaming the victim for problems. This form of psychological abuse can also include making threats to the victim.
Isolation
The abuse can also isolate the victim from friends, family, and social events.
Sexual Abuse
This kind of abuse occurs when the caregiver at the nursing home has sexual contact with the older adult without their consent or against their will. It is important to mention here that sexual abuse can also occur between two elderly people who no longer have the mental capacity to consent to sexual contact.
Financial Abuse
Financial abuse is also another common form of elderly abuse. It involves the abuser taking money without the knowledge of the senior or without their consent. This aspect includes taking control of the elderly’s finances and using their credit cards to steal their funds from their bank accounts.
It is important to mention here that some abusers might be granted power of attorney over a senior to gain complete control over their finances. It is also common for adults to target older adults coping with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease as they are more susceptible to financial abuse.
What to Do When You Detect Elder Abuse?
Now, when it comes to the elders who are at nursing homes and facing neglect – an attorney can help. A lot of people go to retire at nursing homes, and there are loads of stringent laws about what nursing homes need to do to ensure their residents are well taken care of.
Many nursing home abuse cases are reported to lawyers by family members who are concerned that something is not right with their beloved person who is in a nursing home or being taken care of by someone else.
If you suspect that your loved one in a nursing home is being abused or neglected, check out this My Nursing Home Abuse Guide and talk to an attorney right away. The attorney can help you to report the potential abuse to the proper agency and get proper measures taken care of to avoid your loved one continuing to suffer.
The Importance of Knowing Who is in Charge
Some of the most common neglect in nursing homes is that your loved one is not being moved enough in their bed, and they suffer from bedsores or pressure sores. A lot of these things can create complications for the elderly person that can ultimately result in their death.
On that note, if you have a loved one in a nursing home, it is incredibly important to stay on top of who is taking care of your loved one. You will also want to find out who is staying on top of your loved one’s hygiene. Also, know what type of medical care and treatment is being provided to your elderly loved one on a daily basis, including moving your loved one from bed to bed, taking care of them when they are bathed, etc.
The Importance of Doing Your Research
Many times, when people are mentally affected by their old age or are physically incapacitated – they can suffer falls when being transferred out of their beds or into showers. Typically, such falls are fatal. Before admitting your elderly loved ones to a nursing home, you should visit the facility so that you know what to expect and whether that nursing home is the right option for your loved one.
You should know the difference between good care at a nursing home and negligent care at a nursing home.
The Takeaway
In nursing home neglect cases – the damages that one can seek is compensation for the injury that your loved one has sustained. You can also seek financial compensation for the emotional and mental pain and suffering that your loved one is sustaining due to abuse and neglect.
In such cases, the lawyer will typically go after the nursing home or any type of organization that is supposed to be providing proper medical care and treatment for your elderly loved one. Your attorney can help you and your loved one get the compensation that you very much deserve.