7 Types of Abuse in Nursing Homes

Elderly individuals go to nursing home facilities for care and safety. While a long-term facility can feel like a last resort, it is often the best place for an older person to receive proper medical attention and supervision. However, your elderly loved one may meet with negligence and abuse instead of compassionate care. Residents of nursing homes can be physical, sexually, emotionally, and financially abused by staff members. These unlawful acts can cause elderly residents physical and psychological harm and even lead to death. A nursing home abuse lawyer may be able to help.

If you believe your loved one has been a victim of nursing home negligence or abuse, contact us at Studinski Law, LLC today at (715) 343-2850.

7 Types of Nursing Home Abuse

Some of the most common forms of abuse and neglect in nursing homes includes:

1. Bedsores – Pressure ulcers, also called bedsores, are not a normal part of aging or living in a long-term care facility. They are injuries to the skin and underlying tissue caused by prolonged pressure on a certain part of the body. For elderly individuals in nursing homes, bedsores commonly occur on their heels, ankles, backs of the legs, hips, and tailbone region. This type of injury is a sign an individual is not being taken care of properly. Physicians, nurses, and nursing assistants can prevent pressure ulcers by ensuring patients are kept clean, well hydrated, properly fed, and consistently repositioned.
2. Dehydration – When an individual does not receive enough water, they are at risk for serious medical events. Older individuals can become confused and irritable, develop low blood pressure and rapid breathing, and become unconscious or delirious. Long-term and severe dehydration can result in seizures, brain swelling, kidney failure, coma, and death.
3. Malnutrition – Malnutrition can occur in elderly nursing home residents when they are not fed enough or properly. Everyone depends on a healthy, well-balanced diet. However, for residents with medical conditions like heart disease and diabetes, a proper diet is crucial to their care. Malnutrition or improper food can worsen their current medical conditions and lead to additional injuries. Overall, malnutrition is associated with reduced cognitive abilities and mobility. It can make it impossible for residents to care for themselves and lead to death.
4. Positional asphyxia – Positional or postural asphyxia is the condition of an individual not getting enough oxygen due to restraints or the position of their body. Loss of oxygen can lead to brain damage and death.
5. Improper use of restraints – There are times when physicians, nurses, and assistants must restrain nursing home residents for their own safety. For instance, a restraint may be used to ensure an individual cannot fall out of a wheelchair. However, restraining individuals when it is unnecessary or for prolonged periods of time can be dangerous and harmful. It can lead to physical pain, medical conditions like bed sores, mental anguish and suffering, and death.
6. Chemical restraints – Nursing home facilities may improperly use medications to restrain or immobilize residents. This is a dangerous practice. Physicians and nurses can give a patient too much of a prescribed medication to weaken that person’s physical and mental capabilities. They can also give residents drugs that are not prescribed or improperly prescribed to control them. This is a particular concern for elderly individuals with mental illnesses who may be overprescribed antipsychotic medications. Chemical restraints can lead to decreased abilities, negative medical events, mental health issues, overdoses, and death.
7. Sexual assault – Elderly individuals are at risk for sexual assault because they may have limited mobility, muscle weakness, and decreased mental functioning or communication abilities. All of these issues enable a physically capable person to take advantage of residents who are unable to fight back and may be unable to communicate to other staff what has happened to them.

How to Identify Abuse

Abuse and neglect within nursing homes can be difficult to detect. However, it is not impossible if you know the signs of nursing home abuse. If your elderly loved one is living in a long-term care facility, look out for these red flags:

• Skin conditions
  If your loved one constantly has paper thin and dry skin, this may be a sign of dehydration. If you notice rashes, scrapes, and bruises, this can be a sign of lack of proper hygiene and physical abuse. Bedsores are almost always a clear indication of substandard care.
• Weight loss
  If your loved one has lost a great deal of weight while living at the facility, this could be a sign of dehydration, malnutrition, improper diabetes management, and of over-medication.
• Broken bones
  Broken bones in elderly residents are not inevitable. The nursing home staff is there to ensure your loved one does not fall or experience other harmful events. If your loved one has suffered from one or more broken bones at a facility, this may be a sign of neglect or abuse.
• Agitation, confusion, or social withdrawal
  If your loved one is often agitated, confused, or withdrawn when you visit or becomes increasingly agitated, confused, or withdrawn over time, then this is a sign that something is wrong at the facility. If your family member becomes upset, angry, nervous, bewildered, overly quiet, or entirely non-communicative, look into what is going on and why. Also look for other changes in behavior like rocking, self-harm, or fear of being touched.

If You Recognize Abuse, Contact Our Wisconsin Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Today

Our nursing home negligence attorneys have years of experience handling a wide variety of elder neglect and abuse cases. We are prepared to pursue compensation for you or your loved one through civil litigation and work with the police if criminal charges are necessary. Through a personal injury claim, your loved one may be able to receive:

• Medical Expenses
• Pain and Suffering
• Emotional Distress and Mental Anguish
• Disfigurement
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life
• Loss of Society and Companionship

If your loved one passed away due to the neglect or abuse, you may be able to receive:

• Funeral Expenses
• Loss of Financial Contributions
• Loss of Inheritance
• Loss of Society and Companionship

Our compassionate yet aggressive representation in these matters has led to our firm to be recognized as an experienced nursing home abuse trial firm. Call us right away at (715) 343-2850 to schedule an initial consultation and learn how we can help you and your loved one.