Elder Abuse In Nursing Homes
Physical Elder
Abuse
Physical elder abuse is the use of physical force that may result
in bodily injury, physical pain, or impairment. Physical abuse can
include acts of violence like striking, with or without an object,
hitting, beating, pushing, shoving, shaking, slapping, kicking,
pinching, and burning. Inappropriate use of drugs and physical restraints,
force-feeding, and physical punishment of any kind are other examples
of physical elder abuse.
Signs and symptoms of physical elder abuse include
but are not limited to:
-Bruises, black eyes, welts, lacerations, and rope
marks
-Bone fractures, broken bones, and skull fractures
-Open wounds, cuts, punctures, untreated injuries in various stages
of healing
-Sprains, dislocations, and internal injuries/bleeding
-Broken eyeglasses/frames, physical signs of being subjected to
punishment, and signs of being restrained
-Laboratory findings of medication overdose or under utilization
of prescribed drugs
-A nursing home resident’s report of
being hit, slapped, kicked, or mistreated
-A nursing home resident’s sudden change in behavior
-The nursing home worker’s refusal to allow visitors to see
a nursing home resident alone
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Sexual Elder Abuse
Sexual elder abuse is defined as non-consensual sexual contact of
any kind with a nursing home resident. Sexual contact with any person
incapable of giving consent is also considered sexual elder abuse.
It includes but is not limited to unwanted touching, all types of
sexual assault or battery, such as rape, sodomy, coerced nudity,
and sexually explicit photographing.
Signs and symptoms of sexual elder abuse include
but are not limited to:
-Bruises around the breasts or genital area
-Unexplained venereal disease or genital infections
-Unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding
-Torn, stained, or bloody underclothing
-A nursing home resident’s report of being sexually assaulted
or raped
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Emotional or Psychological
Elder Abuse
Emotional or psychological elder abuse is defined as the infliction
of anguish, pain, or distress through verbal or nonverbal acts.
Emotional/psychological elder abuse includes but is not limited
to verbal assaults, insults, threats, intimidation, humiliation,
and harassment. In addition, treating a nursing home resident like
an infant; isolating a nursing home resident from his/her family,
friends, or regular activities; giving a resident the "silent
treatment;" and enforced social isolation are examples of emotional/psychological
elder abuse.
Signs and symptoms of emotional/psychological elder
abuse include but are not limited to:
-Being emotionally upset or agitated
-Being extremely withdrawn and non communicative or non responsive
-Unusual behavior usually attributed to dementia (for example, sucking,
biting, rocking)
-A nursing home resident’s report of being verbally or emotionally
mistreated
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Elder Abuse and
Neglect
Neglect is defined as the refusal or failure to fulfill any part
of a worker's obligations or duties to a nursing home resident,
and neglect may include the failure of the nursing home to provide
necessary care. The refusal or failure to provide a nursing home
resident with such life necessities as food, water, clothing, shelter,
personal hygiene, medicine, comfort, personal safety, and other
essentials included in an implied or agreed-upon responsibility
to a resident would be examples of nursing home neglect and elder
abuse.
Signs and symptoms of neglect and elder abuse include
but are not limited to:
-Dehydration, malnutrition, untreated bedsores, and poor personal
hygiene
-Unattended or untreated health problems
-Hazardous or unsafe living condition/arrangements (for example,
improper wiring, no heat, or no running water)
-Unsanitary and unclean living conditions (for example, dirt, fleas,
lice on person, soiled bedding, fecal/urine smell, inadequate clothing)
-A nursing home resident’s report of being mistreated
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Abandonment
Abandonment is the desertion of a nursing home resident by a nursing
home worker, who has assumed responsibility for providing care for
the resident.
Elder abuse signs and symptoms of abandonment include but are not
limited to:
-The desertion of a nursing home resident
-The desertion of a nursing home resident at a public location
-A nursing home resident’s own report of being abandoned
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Financial or Material
Exploitation
Financial or material exploitation is the illegal or improper use
of a nursing home resident’s funds, property, or assets. Examples
include, but are not limited to, cashing a nursing home resident’s
checks without authorization/permission; forging a resident's signature;
misusing or stealing a resident’s money or possessions; coercing
or deceiving a resident into signing any document (contracts or
will); and the improper use of conservatorship, guardianship, or
power of attorney.
Elder abuse signs and symptoms of financial or
material exploitation include but are not limited to:
-Sudden changes in bank account or banking practice, including an
unexplained withdrawal of large sums of money by a person accompanying
the nursing home resident
-The inclusion of additional names on a nursing home resident’s
bank signature card
-Unauthorized withdrawal of the nursing home resident’s funds
using the resident's ATM card
-Abrupt changes in a will or other financial documents
-Unexplained disappearance of funds or valuable possessions
-Substandard care being provided or bills unpaid despite the availability
of adequate financial resources
-Discovery of a nursing home resident’s signature being forged
for financial transactions or for the titles of his/her possessions
-Sudden appearance of previously uninvolved relatives claiming their
rights to a nursing home resident’s affairs and possessions
-The provision of services that are not necessary
-A nursing home resident’s report of financial exploitation.
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Self-neglect
Self-neglect is characterized as the behavior of a nursing home
resident that threatens his/her own health or safety. Self-neglect
generally manifests itself in a resident as a refusal or failure
to provide himself/herself with adequate food, water, clothing,
shelter, personal hygiene, medication (when indicated), and safety
precautions. The definition of self-neglect excludes a situation
in which a mentally competent nursing home resident, who understands
the consequences of his/her decisions, makes a conscious and voluntary
decision to engage in acts that threaten his/her health or safety
as a matter of personal choice.
Signs and symptoms of self-neglect include but
are not limited to:
-Dehydration, malnutrition, untreated or improperly attended medical
conditions, and poor personal hygiene
-Hazardous or unsafe living conditions/arrangements (for example,
improper wiring, no indoor plumbing, no heat, no running water)
-Unsanitary or unclean living quarters (for example, animal/insect
infestation, no functioning toilet, fecal/urine
smell)
-Inappropriate and/or inadequate clothing, lack of the necessary
medical aids (for example, eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures)
-Grossly inadequate housing
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