The Various Forms Of Nursing Home Abuse To Be Aware Of

Posted on: 4 August 2022

Do you have a loved one that is currently living in a nursing home? If so, it is important to be aware of the possibility that they are suffering from nursing home abuse. It can be both unintentional or intentional acts that cause your loved one harm while under another person's professional care. Here are a few forms of nursing home abuse that you need to look out for.

Physical Abuse

The most obvious form of nursing home abuse is physical abuse. This is when a caretaker is doing something that causes a nursing home resident some sort of physical pain. While some physical abuse is easy to detect because it causes marks or bruising, it can be very hard to detect more subtle forms of abuse. This includes not giving someone enough water so that they are dehydrated, or causing them to be malnourished. 

Emotional Abuse

It can be very hard to prove emotional abuse, but the signs may be obvious. You may notice that a loved one is afraid of certain staff of the nursing home, afraid to leave their room, or stay isolated. This could be due to how they are being treated by caretakers, which has an impact on your loved one's quality of life. 

Neglect

All caregivers must provide services for your loved one. Neglect is when the caretakers fail or even refuse to provide someone with their basic needs. There are also two categories of neglect, which are medical neglect and general neglect. 

Medical neglect is when there is a failure to take care of someone in regards to their care, treatment, or the medical devices that they use regularly. General neglect is when someone does not receive basic necessities. This includes living in an unsanitary environment, not changing soiled clothing, not properly heating or cooling their room so that it is comfortable, or even abandoning a resident and isolating them. 

Sexual Abuse

It's important to understand what is considered sexual abuse to someone that is a resident in a nursing home. While there are sexual acts that are considered abuse, such as sodomy and rape, there are other forms that may leave very little evidence behind. This includes unwanted touching, forced nudity around other residents, and even explicit photographs that are taken by caregivers. 

Feel like your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse? Reach out to a firm like Williams & Swee that can help with this unique type of legal case.  

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