Stephen Chance
Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? It is very important that you know how to identify signs of nursing home abuse and neglect. This list covers ten of the most common indications of elder abuse.
Cuts and bruises are often clear indications of nursing home abuse.
Broken or fractured bones may indicate abuse or neglect in a nursing home.
Sexual abuse in nursing homes may show signs primarily around the genitals. Bruising or bleeding in these areas are often indications of assault.
Development of a sexually transmitted disease while residing in a nursing home may indicate assault.
Bedsores and pressure ulcers indicate neglect. Left untreated, this painful condition may prove fatal.
Infestations like bed bugs or scabies can impact all residents of a nursing home. Failure to deal with these infestations is a sign of neglect.
Failure to properly nourish nursing home residents places them at serious risk of harm. Elder patients have specific nutritional needs and, when not met, may suffer terribly as a result.
Withdrawing from the larger nursing home community may indicate mistreatment. Often, abused or neglected nursing home residents will isolate themselves or become increasingly depressed.
Victims of nursing home abuse may display aggressive behaviors or develop anxiety. Often, these behaviors will be directed indiscriminately against family, friends, and staff.
Victims of abuse and neglect may seem uneasy around staff - even those members who are not directly responsible for harm.
If you suspect a loved one is suffering abuse in his or her nursing home, visit the National Center on Elder Abuse for help reporting the problem. Talk to an elder abuse attorney in addition to law enforcement to learn how your family can seek justice through the civil court system as well.
Stephen Chance has been practicing law in Atlanta since 1995. He was born in Augusta and lived there through high school. He then attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia where...
