Physical Abuse
Thousands of elderly patients are victims of physical abuse every year.
This can involve hitting, scratching, shoving, inappropriate use of restraints, threats of violence, and other types of physical harm deliberately inflicted on the patient.
Emotional Abuse
While emotional abuse isn’t always as obvious as physical abuse, it can be just as damaging.
Emotional abuse can erode an elderly person’s sense of worth, self-reliance, trust, feelings of security, and their quality of life.
This can involve demeaning attitudes and behavior towards the patient, humiliating them, ridiculing them, isolating them, terrorizing or intimidating them, and other means of inflicting emotional trauma onto the victim.
Sexual Abuse
Studies show that between 2-10% of elderly patients have suffered sexual abuse. This abuse is perpetrated by a caretaker in the vast majority of cases.
It’s estimated that patients only report these abuses in about 30% of cases.
If you suspect sexual abuse, take action immediately to have the matter investigated and your loved ones protected.
Financial Abuse
Perpetrators of financial abuse against the elderly are typically family members or those who stand to gain an inheritance from the victim but can be committed by other caregivers or members of a nursing home facility, as well.
This includes stealing money or valuables, forging signatures or documents, forcing the elderly person to sign wills, deeds, or power of attorney documents, and frauds or cons meant to deceive the patient.
Negligence
While nursing home abuse is committed deliberately, neglect involves substandard care or a breach in duty that results in harm or injury to the patient.
Neglect can involve a failure to:
- Adequately address medical care.
- Provide safe and sanitary conditions.
- Provide sufficient and reasonable food or water.
- Assist in maintenance of personal hygiene.
- Foster an environment of social and emotional well-being.
While neglect isn’t an active pursuit of harm or injury to the patient, it can cause lasting damage, harm, or even death.
If you see signs of neglect, find out how you can get your loved one into a better situation and receive compensation for damages.
If you have any more questions about personal injury law visit our website at Car Accident and Slip and Fall Attorney and you can check out some more of our articles on our LAW BLOG.
The information contained in this article is general in nature and is not offered as legal advice or medical advice for any particular situation nor do they in any way create a legal relationship. The opinions and conclusions in this blog post are solely those of the author, are for general informational purposes only and not directed at any specific case or to be construed as legal advice. Any links provided by the author in this article are for informational purposes only and by doing so, the author does not adopt or incorporate their contents.