Protecting Your Loved One From Elder Abuse in a Nursing Home

Nursing homes should keep their residents safe and healthy, but some people suffer abuse in these places. The elderly are particularly vulnerable to abuse in nursing homes. Below are steps to protect your loved one from such abuse.

Understand Different Forms of Elder Abuse

Nobody can prevent something they don't understand—you might not even know the significance of the threat of elder abuse. Therefore, the first step is to educate yourself on elder abuse, its forms, and its effects. For example, many people only focus on physical abuse, but elder abuse goes beyond that.

Below are other forms of elder abuse you should know:



• Sexual abuse – unwanted sexual interactions
• Emotional abuse – behaviors and words that cause mental distress
• Neglect – failure to meet a person's basic needs
  
• Financial abuse – improper or unauthorized use of a person's money or belongings

Start this research early enough so you are prepared before your loved one moves to a nursing home.

Choose a Safe Nursing Home

Nursing home choice plays a big role in determining your loved one's risk of abuse. Do your research and take your time to choose a good quality nursing home where your loved one is unlikely to face abuse. Below are three tips to help you choose a safe nursing home.

Conduct Online Research

Read online reviews and comparisons to select good nursing homes. Some websites even provide specific tools for researching nursing homes. For example, medicare.gov provides an online tool for comparing nursing homes.

Ask For Recommendations

Ask for recommendations from those with inside knowledge of the home care industry, such as professionals working in the healthcare industry. For example, your family physician or your loved one's current caregiver may recommend suitable homes.

Tour Prospective Nursing Homes

Tour prospective facilities to see firsthand what they look like. You may hear or see something that helps you protect your loved one. Speak with the staff and administrator. Ask about their nurses' training and safety protocols.

Maintain Contact With Your Loved One and the Nursing Home

Your protective services do not end after you get a good nursing home and your loved one is settled. Maintain contact with your loved one and nursing home. Below are practical ways of staying in touch.

Stay Involved in Your Loved One's Life

Even though the nursing home will be caring for your loved one, you should still be involved in your loved one's life as much as possible. For example, you should know their friends because many abusers are people known to their victims. Call your loved ones, know what they are doing, ask about their investments, and inquire about their new interests or hobbies.

Regularly Visit the Nursing Home

Visiting the nursing home accomplishes several things, such as the following.

• You get to speak to your loved one face to face and read their nonverbal communication.
• You can assess if the nursing home has changed since you last visited or since your loved one moved in.
• You can socialize with your loved one and their friends and talk to the staff.

Simply put, physical visits may reveal things you might not learn while communicating from a distance.

Watch Out for Abuse Signs

Lastly, be always on the lookout for signs of abuse. Don't expect your loved one to inform you at the first sign of abuse—victims sometimes don't speak out about their ordeals. Some abuse signs to look out for include:

• Unexplained physical injuries
• Change in behavior or mood
• Poor personal hygiene
• Unexplained expenditures
• Weight loss
• Unexplained lifestyle changes

Conduct further investigations if you suspect something but cannot tell what it is. Maybe your subconscious mind is detecting something your conscious mind has not registered.

Schonberg Law Offices has over 35 years of experience in personal injury law, including elder abuse claims. Contact us once you inform the authorities and get your loved one the care they need. We will review the situation and help your family get the nursing home abuse compensation.