Nursing home abuse is more common than people would like to admit. While most nursing homes provide good care, some cause suffering to the elderly in the form of nursing home abuse and neglect. It is an increasing problem with the rising numbers of elderly people living in nursing homes. Many nursing home deaths are a direct result of nursing home abuse.
So, how can you make sure your loved one receives proper care and is not a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect? Your loved one's behavior, appearance, health, and needs are good indicators. They are apt to change quickly. Always be on alert for signs of nursing home abuse and neglect.
Common forms of nursing home abuse and neglect include:
- Forgetting or Refusing Medication
- Overmedicating Patients
- Assault and Battery
- Food or Water Deprivation
- Malnutrition or Dehydration
- Sexual Assault
- Use of Restraints
- Overuse of Sedatives
- Confinement
- Lack of Personal Hygiene
- Dirty Clothes or Dirty Bed Linens
- Isolation
Be on the lookout for signs of nursing home abuse and neglect, including:
- Cuts and Bruises
- Infections
- Injuries
- Staff Unwilling to Provide Information
- Emotional Outbursts of Loved One
- Withdrawal
- Out-of-Character Behavior
- Not Wanting a Visitor to Leave
- Wish for Isolation
In specific, be on the lookout for:
- Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, happen when a patient has unrelieved pressure, friction, rubbing, on a certain part of the body, particularly directly over a bone. Dehydration, weight loss, and poor hygiene and nutrition contribute to bedsores. Severe bedsores can deepen into the internal organs. A patient should be turned frequently, receive nutritionally rich foods, and plenty of water to prevent bedsores. Therefore, bedsores are a sign of nursing home abuse. Nursing home residents with bedsores need immediate medical attention.
- Injuries are common with inadequate hospital beds. A patient can easily suffocate or strangle to death if neglected in an inadequate bed in a nursing home. The side rails can contribute to the danger. An inadequate bed can lead to trapping a resident's head between the rails. A mattress that does not fit in the bed frame can trap a patient in the bed and is another sign of nursing home abuse and neglect.
- Broken bones, or fractures, are a sign of negligence and nursing home abuse. Safety when moving to prevent the risk of falling is important. In addition to neglect, look out for hazards like loose rugs and missing handrails.
- Missing items and employee stealing are red flags for negligence and nursing home abuse.