Your family is probably aware that neglect and abuse can occur in nursing homes and similar facilities. But, how can you recognize abuse? And what can you do once you realize that your loved one is the victim of neglect or abuse? In this section, we take you through some of the most common signs of abuse to help you stay vigilant and protect your loved one who may be a resident at a nursing home or who might have a home health aide.
Signs of Abuse
First, we have a page dedicated to general signs of abuse. This is a detailed list of different types of neglect and abuse, as well as signs of each. Here, you can learn about signs of neglect, medication errors, financial abuse, insurance fraud, discrimination, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Check this page out for more information!
We also have pages for each individual type of abuse and neglect. For example, check out our financial abuse pages if you suspect that your loved one could be the victim of financial abuse. Or, if you are worried about a specific type of financial abuse, such as healthcare fraud or insurance fraud, we have information about those as well.
Types of Abuse
Medical errors are surprisingly common in hospitals and nursing homes. Medical errors can occur for many different reasons, but oftentimes they are the result of simple miscommunication. You can learn more about medical errors here. If you need information about medication errors, which are a form of medical errors, check out this page.
Discrimination is an issue that your loved one can face in a care facility. They could be discriminated against due to their race, gender, or even just the fact that they are elderly. Ageism is a real problem, and you need to know how to identify this or a broader form of discrimination in a care facility.
Abuse towards an elderly person can also be subtle. Sometimes it takes the form of neglect. For example, a care professional may make your loved one wait longer than the other residents to eat, or administer medication at the incorrect time. These tactics are explored more on this page.
Issues such as discrimination and neglect might be classified as emotional abuse. Emotional abuse is often the result of hostility, yelling, name calling, threats, and more. You can learn more about emotional abuse on this page.
Believe it or not, sexual abuse is another issue that nursing home residents might face. Oftentimes a perpetrator might think that the victim won’t remember the abuse, will be too afraid to speak out, or won’t be believed if they do tell. Here are some common signs of sexual abuse.
Perhaps the most widely known form of abuse is physical abuse. This takes the form of physical violence against another person. Learn about some of the symptoms here.
Common Injuries
In this section, we also have a page about some common nursing home injuries and how to avoid them. Sometimes injuries happen due to a staff member’s negligence. They may not have intended it, but this doesn’t mean that the injury should have happened or that it’s right.
If you are searching for more information on signs of neglect or abuse, this is a section that you want to read! If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact our office. We can point you in the right direction.