Sadly, physical abuse is a major problem in our nations nursing homes. An estimated 5% of our nations seniors have been victims of physical abuse at some point during their so called ‘golden years’. Some experts believe physical abuse is even more common in institutional settings such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFE) and hospitals- yet many cases remain unreported.
In a nursing home setting, some patients may be physically abused by: other patients, visitors or even staff. In an effort to minimize physical abuse, some states have implemented laws to conduct background searches before hiring staff or admitting patients. In some cases, the facilities failure to properly screen or monitor their staff and new patients has resulted in harm to innocent patients.
Some elderly residents who are victims of abuse are unable to alert family or staff of the abuse due to physical impairment. They might be too scared to report the abuse or too embarrassed, or even unable to remember the abuse that they were forced to endure because of a cognitive impairment.
Warning Signs of Elder Abuse
Consequently, it is important for family and caregivers to be on the look out for the signs of potential abuse:
- Unexplained bruises, cuts, burns, sprains, or fractures
- Frozen joints
- Unexplained venereal disease or genital infections, vaginal or anal bleeding
- Bloody clothing
- Sudden changes in behavior
- Staff refusing to allow visitors to see resident or delays in allowing visitors to see resident.
- Staff not allowing resident to be alone with visitor
- Resident being kept in an over-medicated state
- Loss of resident’s possessions
- Withdrawal from friends and family
- Sudden loss of appetite
Steps to Take Following An Abusive Event
If you believe your loved one was physically or sexually abused, seek medical attention for the physical and emotional injuries immediately.
Secondly, report the crime to your local police department immediately. When police get involved soon after an event, they may have better access to evidence and witness that may help identify the perpetrators.
Related:
Yet another episode of nursing home violence was reported at a facility in Southwest Florida when a resident attacked his roommate over a disagreement as to the positioning of the window curtains. Even though there was a nurse nearby, the victim of the abuse suffered severe facial bruising and fractures that required medical attention at a hospital.
Probably the last thing patients and families consider when selecting a facility is the possibility of violence— perpetrated by another patient at the facility! Leaving families further in the dark is the fact that poor decision making on the part of the facility significantly increases the risk of violence to their loved one….
A recent article in The Seattle Times presented a sad, but realistic, glimpse into the abusive and neglectful conditions found in many adult homes in Washington.
As people look for additional living options instead of traditional nursing homes, adult group homes (characterized as facilities that care for six or few people) theoretically provide an attractive alternative offering more flexibility and a less-expensive alternative to nursing homes….
The overwhelming majority of sex abuse cases involving nursing home patients go unreported to authorities and hence un-prosecuted according to a recent news story on the topic by WKYC, a Cleveland, OH television station.
In evaluating the sex abuse complaints made to the Ohio Department of health, the regulatory agency for nursing homes, just a handful of the 324 complaints made regarding rape and sexual abuse of patients in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities resulted in a conviction….
I guess when it comes to elder care, many problems encountered by residents in U.S. nursing homes sadly seem to make their way across the border to our friends in Canada. The recent news report of an elderly Canadian nursing home resident who fell and fractured her hip– yet sat for days without medical attention or adequate pain medication is an unfortunate story unnecessarily repeated on a daily basis at nursing homes across the world.
In the U.S., upon learning of a fall or other injury, the nursing home staff must conduct an assessment to ensure no injury was sustained. In cases where there is an apparent injury, the staff physician should alerted immediately as to the incident….
The saying goes, “something is better than nothing” may be quite applicable when it comes to getting a slice of cherry pie for desert— or perhaps other innocently gluttonous activities. But I’m not so sure if I want that phrase to apply to situations when it comes to punishment for those who have committed crimes involving abuse of the elderly.
Recently, we discussed how workers at a California Nursing Home covered their patients with slippery ointment to play a joke on the following shift who would have difficulty handling them. The sophomorish prank may have appeared like innocent fun— especially considered that none of the patients were seriously injured….
Two caregivers responsible for caring for a mentally and physically disabled man face criminal charges following an intensive police investigation that points the finger at them for his death at Richmond State Supported Living Center in Fort Bend County (Texas). An autopsy of the disabled man, revealed that he died from blunt force trauma to his abdomen.
Prosecutors believe that the caregiver responsible for providing non-medical care to the man struck him in the stomach in the early morning hours of October 8th of last year. A nurse who was scheduled to make regular checks on the disabled man– and reported to officials that she apparently had done so– later confessed that bed checks never took place….
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About Jonathan Rosenfeld
Jonathan Rosenfeld is a lawyer who represents people injured in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Jonathan has represented victims of nursing home abuse and neglect throughout Illinois and across the country. Jonathan’s reputation as an aggressive advocate for the…
