6 Tips For Recognizing Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Abuse and neglect can certainly be issues in a nursing home facility, but it's important to understand that the vast majority of serious elder abuse takes place in private homes. Victims are typically women over 74 years old and are living with their abuser. While this is what the stats show, you still need to be vigilant when it comes to keeping an eye out for signs of abuse and neglect when your loved one is in a nursing home / long term care facility.

Whether intentional or unintentional, the most common forms of abuse - neglect - takes place in nursing homes. The following six tips should help you recognize neglect in your loved ones facility:

1. Allowing the elder to wear soiled or inappropriate clothing, an unshaven appearance, dirty or broken fingernails and dirty or greasy hair.

This is important as lack of attention to personal appearance can lead to social isolation, loss of dignity and depression.

2. Not assisting with eating or drinking

3. Not assisting with personal hygiene

4. Positioning or turning the elder's body in such a way that leads to bedsores

5. Ignoring call lights, buzzers, or cries for help

6. Not assisting with walking or range of motion exercises

In addition to these type of neglect issues, you'll also want to keep a keen eye out to ensure there is no financial exploitation going on.

1. Ensure that the staff is not misusing the elder's money by taking it from them under the guise of doing something with it that they don't do.

2. Be sure the facility is not keeping the personal allowance allowed to Medicare patients.

3. Keep an eye out for staff members forging checks.

4. Watch out for the facility not allowing your elder to have access to their money.

It's critical that your elder not be allowed to keep large sums of cash, ATM cars, or blank bank checks in their room. Not only do you have to be concerned for possible staff theft, but other residents as well. The facility should have safe in their office that should be available for residents. Some even allow for small safes in residents rooms.