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7 Types of Abuse that Takes Place in Nursing Homes: A Nursing Home Attorney Can Help

Legally Reviewed and Edited by: Terry Cochran

The World Health Organization defines elder abuse as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, that occurs within a relationship of trust that results in harm or distress to an elderly person. It can be physical or psychological, sexual, emotional, financial, or caused by neglect whether intentional or unintentional by a caretaker or a relative.

If you believe a loved one isa victim of abuse or neglect, nursing home abuse lawyers can provide a case review to determine if caregivers provide proper standards of care.

With over a million elderly people living in nursing homes, the chances of there being intentional or unintentional instances of abuse are many. In fact, over 95 % of residents and patients in nursing homes and long term care facilities complain of neglect due to shortage of staff, inadequate living conditions, or nonexistent policies, practices, and procedures. Abuse of the elderly is high on the list to attract a medical malpractice attorney’s attention at our law firm.

A nursing home attorney at Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. has years of experience with these types of cases. Our seasoned lawyers will help you wade through the intricacies of the law should their exist any indication of these seven types of abuse.

When abuse to an elderly person brings about a medical malpractice lawsuit or any other type of claim, contact us immediately. We can help.

7 Types of Abuses

1. Emotional Abuse

When an elderly person is emotionally abused in a nursing home situation they are usually isolated from their friends and family members. At times they can be treated like a child, disciplined for bad behavior, and removed from the social flow of the facility. Insensitive staff and other residents may insult a person, harass them, or ignore them to inflict emotional pain and distress.

2. Sexual Abuse

Sexual contact with a person who is unable to provide consent is considered sexual abuse. Inappropriate touching, intercourse, coerced nudity, and submitting the person to pose for nude pictures are all considered to be sexual abuse. Some things to look for when a person is being sexually abused are genital infections, bruises on the breasts or anus, and bleeding from the vagina or anus.

3. Physical Abuse

There are many types of physical abuse, and some are clearly recognizable while others are not. Shoving, kicking, or slapping may go unnoticed, and even inaccurate drug administration could slip by undetected. More apparent signs are fractured skulls, bruises, welts, lacerations, or broken bones. Visitors should be wary if they are not allowed in to see a resident, and if the patient exhibits sharp changes in attitude and interactions with others.

4. Abandonment of the Elderly

A person or caregiver who has responsibility for the care of an elderly person could be abusing the person by leaving them at a shopping mall or in a train station or bus station. Abandonment may also occur when the person responsible stops visiting or keeping contact by severing all means of communication.

5. Financial Abuse

There are many instances when a nursing home staff member, a relative, or another resident may take advantage of an elderly resident by obtaining their credit card information and using it to make unwarranted purchases. Other types of financial abuse might be within the family when wills are changed, or property is sold or mishandled. Nursing home administrators need to be on the lookout for situations where the resident is not receiving the appropriate care in relation to their stated income or too many services that place them at risk financially.

Nursing Homes

6. Self-Neglect

In a nursing home, sometimes residents will refuse or fail to use their prescribed medications, glasses, or other medical devices. This also includes instances where personal hygiene lapses or they put their safety at risk by walking away or fleeing the nursing home premises.

7. Neglect of the Elderly

A refusal to provide an elderly person with the basic comforts of life can be considered abuse. All elderly people deserve a safe and sanitary place to live, and they also deserve to have the appropriate food to eat and clean clothes to wear. A caretaker or relative who is responsible for the care of the elderly person, but who refuses to provide these basic needs can be charged with abuse. Nursing homes can be guilty of this if they charge high fees but offer services that are below the minimum expected.

Final Word

Our elderly population deserves the best comfort and care in their later years that we can provide. At Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. understand the importance of caring for the elderly in our communities, and we are prepared to litigate for families where elderly abuse occurs. Contact us at Cochranlaw.com or call 866-MICH-LAW for a free consultation.

Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship is created nor intended.

Tristan is a professional writer and had careers as a teacher of English, school administrator, and as a broker in real estate sales. He has gained a great deal of legal experience through his service as the president of a teacher's union, a member of the board for a real estate association, and as the chairman of the Government Affairs Committee for the real estate board of directors. Before beginning a full-time job as a freelance writer, he was the Executive Director of the Global Business Alliance for a local Chamber of Commerce and sat on the Government Affairs Committee for the Chamber.

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