Nursing home abuse is a disturbing yet undeniable epidemic affecting our nation’s senior population. In nursing homes and assisted living communities, seniors are experiencing neglect and abuse at alarming rates. Nursing home abuse is especially insidious given the vulnerability of the victims – many of whom cannot advocate for himself or herself due to dementia or other disability. Providing proof of abuse can be challenging, as allegations are often denied and evidence is frequently covered up.
The following is a brief glimpse at the categories of nursing home abuse:
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse transpires when physical force is used to harm a victim. Hitting, biting, pushing, scratching or excessively using restraints may constitute physical abuse. Health care workers may become enraged at bedridden and otherwise helpless victims, punching and inflicting trauma on residents. This exact situation recently occurred to one senior citizen in Queens, New York.
Emotional Abuse
Emotional abuse takes place when a victim is forced to suffer due to ridicule, intimidation, threats or humiliation. Though notoriously more difficult to prove than physical abuse, emotional abuse takes just as great a toll on its vulnerable victims who place their trust in their care providers.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse occurs when non-consensual sexual contact takes place with a senior. Most recently, nursing home sexual abuse was in the news due to the now acquitted 78-year-old man who was accused of raping his wife, who had Alzheimer’s disease and was therefore no longer, by some accounts, capable of consenting to sex. In other cases, the sexual abuse takes place between residents, such as the abuse that occurred to multiple dementia patients at a convalescent center in Washington.
Financial Abuse
Financial exploitation and fraud happens in a variety of ways. Credit card or bank account theft is common, as care facilities have ready access to the resident’s financial information. In some of the worst cases, caregivers steal and abuse senior’s identities.
Healthcare fraud is another financially criminal form of abuse in which the care facility bills healthcare providers for services not performed. The generosity and naivety of seniors may also be exploited by scams, tricking seniors into “donating” money to fraudulent charities or wiring money to people they don’t know.
Neglect
Neglect, or negligence, is a lack of proper emotional, physical or medical attention. Seniors are a particularly vulnerable part of the population who depend upon other people to take care of their needs. When seniors suffer from lack of care, trauma, falls, and many secondary health problems manifest. Neglect often precedes other forms of abuse.
Reporting Nursing Home Abuse
If elder abuse is suspected, remove the victim from the nursing home to a safe place immediately. Once the victim is safe, the first step toward advocacy is reporting the abuse to the state hotline. Medical malpractice attorneys with experience prosecuting nursing home abusers will ensure that your family receives proper compensation and justice.