Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect is Physical and Emotional

Nursing homes are places that are meant to be an area of comfort, rest, and relaxation for the elderly. A lot of people nowadays would opt to bring their parents or grandparents to a nursing home believing that they would be taken cared of better. However, there have been so many reports that a lot of elderly are being abused by the caregivers in nursing homes. These abuses are either physical or emotional.

Physical abuse, as the term denotes, means bodily harm inflicted on an elderly. This can be direct physical abuse such as hitting or slapping, and can also be an indirect abuse which consists of food deprivation and not receiving the right kind of medication as prescribed by a physician. These abuses often lead to a lifetime trauma that could render an elderly utterly dysfunctional.

One of the most obvious signs that an elderly is being physically abused is a bruise. This may appear on any part of the body such as at the arms or legs. You may also need to look out for scars and welts. You cannot simply imagine what pains the elderly goes through whenever caregivers give them this kind of treatment. A small bruise usually hurt younger aged-people but an elderly who has a frail body, weak bones, and thin skin will surely be hurting all the more.

Other signs that an elderly is physically abused are broken bones, dislocations, as well as sprains. Bones in the hip area usually get dislocated due to shoving and pushing from a caregiver, which often results to a fall on the floor. Shoulder injuries are also results from rough handling of caregivers and other nursing home personnel. At times, a resident may have broken eyeglasses, which often results from a force applied on the face directly, causing the eyeglasses to fall. Some signs of restraint such as rope marks on the wrists can also be a determinant of physical abuse. The suspicious behavior of the caregiver, when he does not want you to see your mom or dad alone, is also a sure giveaway.

The other classification of nursing home abuse is the emotional abuse. This usually involves the language that is used by the caregiver in communicating with the elderly. Foul language may be hurled at the elderly, which may bring about a low self-esteem. Emotional abuse is also done through threats and intimidation. These would often leave elders with skittish behavior and they are usually afraid and wary about their surroundings. You can always notice fear from the way they move and from the look on their faces. They are also most likely to exhibit behavior that is prevalent with persons suffering from dementia such as sucking or rocking. Any of these symptoms are warning signs of elderly abuses.