Nursing Home Abuse

There comes a time for many Shelton families when an elderly loved one can no longer take care of themselves and your family does not have the means to be a proper caregiver. In these cases, you have several options – you could hire live-in help, work with an home health aide, or you might consider having your loved one live in a nursing home or assisted living facility. All of these options and more may work depending on your situation, and you should consider each option to find the best one. However, one thing that you should look out for is abuse of the elderly. This might happen in a nursing home, but it also might occur in another situation that is supposed to help the elderly. On this page, you can learn more about types of elderly neglect and abuse as well as how to make sure that your elderly loved one is properly cared for.

Types of Elderly Neglect and Abuse

Throughout Shelton care options for the elderly, neglect and abuse can occur. Here are a few common forms of abuse that you should watch out for:

• Physical abuse: Oftentimes the most commonly thought of abuse, this consists of physical acts of violence against the elderly such as hitting, spitting, scratching, punching, etc.
• Sexual abuse: Unfortunately, there are situations where healthcare professionals or facility staff members take advantage of the elderly in a sexual way. Sexual abuse is considered any unwanted sexual attention. This might be something seemingly simple like unwanted flirting or talking to the elderly in a sexual way. It may also include sexual touching or even intercourse itself.
• Emotional abuse: Though this is harder to see, emotional abuse can happen to the elderly. Emotional abuse may include threats, verbal harassment, belittlement, or other verbal abuse that has a negative impact on your elderly loved one’s self worth or mental health.
• Financial abuse: The elderly are oftentimes taken advantage of financially because some people think that they are easy targets. Financial abuse can range from financial scams to convincing people to give up their bank information, social security numbers, or other personal information.
• Neglect: Neglect is failure to provide basic needs to the elderly, such as food, water, shelter, cleanliness, and proper health care. Neglect may be done on purpose or by accident if staff is very busy and does not communicate well.

Prevention and Getting Help

If you want to prevent elderly abuse or neglect in Shelton, arming yourself with the proper information is a good place to start. Know what to look for and make sure to communicate with whoever is caring for your loved one. Make it clear that any form abuse will not be tolerated, and that you will be checking in frequently. The elderly are sometime abused because people think that they don’t have family who will notice or complain. Make it clear that this is not your family’s situation.

Also communicate with your loved one. Talking about abuse can be difficult, but make sure that your elderly loved one knows that it is ok to confide in you if they are experiencing problems.

If you discover nursing home abuse or neglect, get your loved one out of the situation. Then, consider filing a police report as well as a nursing home neglect and abuse claim. Your family could recover damages that your elderly loved one sustained. For more information, contact a Shelton nursing home abuse lawyer such as one of the lawyers on our team.