| With advances in medical technology and health care in general, more people are living longer and longer. In fact, Americans over the age of 85 is the fast growing segment of the country's population. As the aging population increases, so does the number of people receiving long-term care in nursing homes.
Unfortunately, not all assisted living facilities and nursing homes offer quality care. Some of the residents are suffering from intentional abuse and neglect in these facilities. Neglect of the basic needs of senior citizens is the most prevalent type of elder abuse, with physical abuse by caregivers ranking as the second most common form of elder mistreatment.
Institutional abuse in nursing homes can include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The family members of residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities must be vigilant for signs of nursing home abuse and neglect. Common physical signs of potential problems include:
- Untreated bedsores
- Unexplained bruises, cuts, burns, sprains, or fractures in varying stages of healing
- Sudden changes in behavior
- Torn clothing or broken personal items
- Poor personal hygiene or other ignored health problems
- Excessive and sudden weight loss
- Dirty and uncared for rooms
- Unscheduled visits with patients forbidden by staff
- Overmedicated condition of patients
- Sudden large withdrawals from bank accounts of a patient or a change in financial practices.
The abuse may not be the result of the intentional actions of a staff that is abusive, but may reflect the neglect of caregivers who are improperly hired, overburdened, or under-trained. A family member or friend should suspect a careless, neglectful staff if any of the following situations occur:
- Sudden changed in medication
- Lack of proper temperature control in a patient's room
- Staff's inability to explain a patient's condition
- Staff that allows patients to wander off the premises.
Copyright 2010 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. |