Nursing home abuse and neglect is one of America’s most underreported and undetected problems – and it is one that can have a severe emotional impact on the victim and their family members. According to estimates from the National Center on Elder Abuse, 10% of elderly Americans have suffered some form of abuse.
For residents and families in Georgia, the reports are even more disturbing. According to a story by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one in four nursing homes in the state received a one-star rating (the lowest possible) in the latest federal quality rankings of long-term care facilities in the U.S. With 27.6% of nursing homes receiving the one-star rating, Georgia ranked as the second-worst performing state (behind only Louisiana) in the Southeast.
The Douglasville personal injury lawyers at Sherrod & Bernard, P.C., have helped numerous clients hold corporate and locally owned nursing homes accountable for direct or indirect nursing home abuse and neglect. Our compassionate and aggressive nursing home abuse lawyers have helped secure compensation for the victims while helping change the conditions in nursing homes so that patterns of abuse stop immediately.
Learn more about spotting signs of nursing home abuse or neglect, what legal recourse victims have, and what our firm can do to assist families who are worried about their elderly loved one. If you need immediate help, phone our office or fill out an online contact form now.
What are the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect?
There are many types of abuse, and it is often more difficult to spot signs of abuse in senior citizens than in children or younger adults. Signs of elder abuse are broken down into four categories: physical, mental, financial and sexual. Watch for the following:
Signs of Physical Abuse or Neglect
- Bedsores or noticeable bruises appearing on your loved one’s body
- Messy, unkempt appearance or foul smells, soiled clothing or bedding, or fecal matter or urine in their bedding and clothing
- Dirty living quarters
- Feeling ill or experiencing physical pain as a result of withheld or failure to administer medication
- Visible malnutrition or dehydration
Signs of Mental Abuse and Emotional Abuse
- Keeping your loved one from groups they normally frequent or activities they enjoy
- Exposing your loved one to repeated discussions of death, which cause them to contemplate suicide
- Constant verbal abuse, including name-calling and denigrating their place at the home
- Prohibiting outgoing phone calls or mishandling outgoing mail to cut off ties with outside family
Signs of Sexual Abuse
- Your loved one holds or “favors” their genitalia but is too afraid to talk
- The senior citizen begins talking about sex more than usual but seems depressed when doing so
- Your loved one experiences unexplained bleeding from the rectal area that is not related to hemorrhoids or other known medical issues
- After questioning, your loved one admits to being touched inappropriately
Signs of Financial Abuse
- Your loved one suddenly changes all or part of their will to benefit an unknown person or party
- An unusual amount of money is transferred from your loved one’s account to a nonfamily member
- The discovery of credit card applications or other loan forms signed by another party
- Expensive items are reported missing from your loved one’s home
Exploitation and abuse of higher-risk adults in nursing home facilities are far too common in Georgia. While loved ones may try to deal with these abuse signs before it becomes widespread, some family members live far away and are unable to keep tabs on their loved ones in these facilities.
What is the Difference Between Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse?
Although both terms seem relatively similar, there’s a difference between elderly abuse and elderly neglect.
- Nursing home abuse is the deliberate abuse of person, power, and trust. It’s taking away the liberties a resident has the right to enjoy by taking actions that are intended to hurt an individual.
- Nursing home neglect is best described as deliberate or negligent failure to take action. Ignoring an individual’s physical and emotional needs leads to psychological and physical suffering.
Elopement, which is when any resident wanders away from their assisted living or nursing home facility, could indicate another form of gross negligence on the part of the facility.
The amount and type of compensation awarded for a nursing home abuse case may depend on factors such as the extent of the victim’s injuries, the duration of the abuse, whether other cases may be bundled and class-action certified, and other economic and non-economic factors that vary between victims.
