Nursing home abuse is an incredibly serious issue. Family members research to find the best nursing home for their aging loved ones, only to find that the workers there are either untrained, unsupervised or simply don’t care about their patients. Situations like the one in Arizona, where a woman in a partially conscious state was repeatedly raped by a nursing home worker, is an example of the most egregious abuse. No one realized what was happening to that woman until she unexpectedly gave birth to a child. Sadly, the nursing home had a long list of violations in addition to the heinous crime.
The Statistics Are Astounding
While the abuse described above is obvious, many cases of nursing home abuse go under the radar. According to a website that compiles nursing home abuse data, over 5 million people are abused in nursing homes every year. Forms of abuse can be anything from having meals withheld and being given improper medication, to actually being physically abused by the people who are supposed to care for them.
A further breakdown of the statistics shows that one in ten elderly adults has been abused in a nursing home setting at one time or another. However, only one out of every 14 of the incidents are actually reported to the authorities. In some cases, the family members of the abused may not know what’s going on. Their elderly loved one may be unable to tell them they have been abused or they fear telling their family members because they believe they will be abused even more.
Types of Abuse
The main types of nursing home or elder abuse include: financial abuse, where a child or another relative knowingly take money from them. Physical and emotional abuse are fairly common as well. The people working in the nursing home may hit their patients, or withhold a meal or medication.
Sexual abuse and neglect round out the top of the list. One of the most glaring examples of sexual abuse is described above. On top of that, neglect includes everything from not having clean clothes or bedding to not having enough food. Any instance of abuse, whether small or egregious must be reported and the abuser must be held accountable.
If you have an elderly loved one who suffered any form of nursing home abuse, call me and I’ll Make Them Pay!®