Recognizing and Preventing Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes

Entrusting your loved on to the care of a nursing home is a difficult decision. It can be all the more painful if you discover that your loved one is experiencing abuse in his or her new home. Nursing home abuse can take a variety of forms and may not be noticeable immediately. Your loved one could be physically, emotionally, or sexually abused. In addition, abuse can take the form of exploitation, such as fraud or theft, or may have been neglected or abandoned by caretakers or medical professionals.

Even if your loved one is in good mental health, he or she may not bring the abuse to your attention. Just as in other forms of abuse, the victim may not fully understand the situation and therefore may not know how to react. The victim may feel embarrassed or ashamed about the abuse, or he or she might fear repercussions from the abuser.

How to Prevent Nursing Home Abuse

The best way to prevent abuse is to take precautions to choose a quality facility for your loved one. To assure you choose a proper home for your loved one:

• Research the background of the home. Each facility should have a public record of inspections, and although inspections might not be completely accurate, they can give you some overall information about the quality of care at the home. Facilities are required to publicly post their inspection reports.


• If your loved one has special needs, find a facility that specializes in providing for these needs. For example, some homes cater toward patients with Alzheimer's disease, which others may contain special medical equipment like ventilators.


• Get recommendations from other people about any nursing home you are considering. Contact relatives, friends, local senior citizen groups, support groups, doctors, or others that may have experiences with facilities in the area.


• Visit the home. Although you can collect a wealth of information from outside sources, a personal visit to the nursing home can answer any remaining questions and give you a feel for the way your loved one will be treated.

One your loved one has made the transition to the nursing home, it is important to stay alert to his or her condition. Some signs that your loved one may be experiencing abuse include:

• Physical indicators, such as marks, bruises, burns, broken bones, and abrasions.


• Depression, withdrawal from normal activities, or a low level of alertness.


• Unexplained financial problems, which may indicate theft or fraud.


• Weight loss, bedsores, poor hygiene, and unmet medical needs, which may signify neglect.


• Controlling, threatening behavior from caretakers.


• Tense relationships and arguments between your loved one and his or her caretaker.