Understanding Personal Injury Law

2 Types Of Nursing Home Abuse

20 June 2016

Celina Nichols

If you have an elderly loved one that is in a nursing facility, abuse is a possibility. You may want to keep a close watch on your loved one to ensure that this doesn't happen to them. It's ideal to know the warning signs of the various types of abuse to look out for in order to catch this kind of injury early.  This can allow you to find and stop any abusive behavior in its tracks.

Financial abuse

One of the last things you may think about is an attendant stealing money from a person you love. However, this has happened in the past and is something you should be mindful of by checking the accounts of your loved one routinely.

Listed below are some of the warning signs of financial abuse:

1.  Account withdrawals – It's not uncommon for an individual caring for your loved one at the nursing home to have instant access to the financial statements that come in the mail. This may enable this person to withdraw money from an account that is in the name of your loved one.

2.  Will revisions – It's possible to convince a nursing home patient to change a will or other legal documents so that the caretaker will get money.

3.  Personal loans – It is entirely possible that a caretaker will borrow money (with or without permission) or use the victim's name and personal information. Speak with your loved one and try to discern whether personal loans were coerced or not, and heavily question any odd usage of your loved one's personal information.

Physical abuse

It's hard to fathom your aging parents or grandparents being physically harmed intentionally at a nursing facility, but this can happen. You will want to look for various signs of physical abuse:

1. Weight loss – Have you noticed your loved one has lost a lot of weight recently? If so, you should consult with a medical expert to ensure the health of this person. Otherwise, there could be physical abuse occurring that may decrease the appetite of this individual.

2. Bruises – It's a good idea to check routinely for any type of bruising. This is a red flag that your loved one may be suffering from abuse.

3. Broken bones – As people get older, bones become more fragile. However, if your loved one has a habit of having bones that are broken, this could be due to physical abuse.

Take the time to monitor the well-being of any person you care about that is in a nursing facility. If you do spot any abuse, be sure to consult with a nursing home abuse attorney and report this behavior. Go to websites with more information on attorneys and how they can help with your case.

Share