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Available Evenings and Weekends by Appointment
Free Consultation
(901) 322-4232
Available Evenings and Weekends by Appointment
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Elder Abuse Cases have Increased at a Staggering Rate
As our population has aged, the number of elder abuse cases has increased at a staggering rate. As of 2018, 52 million people in the U.S. were over the age of 65. Nearly 1 in 10 of these people suffer from elder abuse every year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
There is no reliable estimate of how many cases go unreported. Too many elderly people are at the mercy of facilities that are bound by law to act as major caregivers. Sadly, the frailest and most vulnerable among us often become victims when necessary care is not provided as is required by law.
As of 2017, 1.2 million seniors need nursing home care. By 2030, this number is expected to increase to 1.9 million, according to the Population Reference Bureau. Abuse and neglect in nursing facilities are the result of many factors, including poor infection control measures, a lack of adequate staffing, and disregard for caregiver responsibilities. This mistreatment can take the form of physical, emotional, sexual, or financial abuse. Additionally, seniors in these homes often suffer traumatic damage from sheer neglect.
According to the CDC, an adult over the age of 65 suffers a fall every second of every day.
The most egregious evidence of abuse are:
- Pressure sores (bedsores, decubiti)
- Lacerations or welts
- Bruises
- Broken bones or fractures
- Blood on garments or sheets
Some signs of sexual abuse that are red flags for concern:
- Bleeding around the genital area
- Blood on undergarments
- Bruising near breasts and genital area
Signs of neglect are numerous, but they include:
- Dehydration (cracked lips, no water on bedside table, urinary tract infections)
- Soiled and dirty linens
- Sour or putrid smells
- Improper administration of medications
While emotional abuse is more difficult to ascertain, certain indicators are:
- Atypical withdrawal of a loved one from socializing
- Unusual anxiety, signs of fear at the approach of caregivers
- Sullen or disgruntled behavior of staff members and certain other residents
Emotional abuse can be caused directly or from neglect:
- Direct mockery and taunting
- Threats and intimidation
- Ignoring a resident's requests or obvious needs
- Isolation of the resident from others
- Subtle acts of cruelty
About financial abuse
Financial abuse is also quite common. This involves financial damage from caregivers who count on the helplessness and dependency of seniors to victimize elders in any number of ways. Some forms of financial abuse include:
- Theft of money, checks, and credit cards
- Forgery
- Theft of valuable jewelry and other belongings
- Increasingly, cases of identity theft.
Members of a family may not have the time to keep track of these infractions in nursing homes and a frail senior might not notice when an item is missing. Not only does this abuse injure financially, but often articles that “go missing” are the only daily comfort these residents have connecting them to their past lives with their families.
It’s not uncommon for family members to be unaware of the abuse of their elderly loved one and to even dismiss obvious signs of neglect as natural symptoms of aging. Residents themselves may be the last ones to sound the alarm regarding their abuse and/or neglect to either their caretakers or loved ones, due to fear of being punished by those very caretakers when the “word gets out.” Worse still, egregious cases of neglect and abuse often involve elderly people with Alzheimer’s or degrees of dementia. All the more cause for consequences to be severe when caregivers disregard both their moral and legal
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