Nursing Home Attorney > Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect > Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing Home Attorneys

  Pennsylvania / New Jersey / California

Protecting Your Loved One

The types of nursing home abuse often found include: physical abuse, psychological abuse, financial abuse/theft, and sexual abuse. Each type of nursing home abuse is different and each has its own signs and symptoms.

• Physical abuse arises when a nursing home staff member or another nursing home resident intentionally uses physical force against a nursing home resident. Some examples include: slapping, scratching, pushing, punching, kicking, choking, and hair pulling.
  
  Improper use of resident restraints such as wheelchair seat belts, bed rails, or drugs may also be physical abuse. Symptoms of physical abuse of a nursing home resident include:
  • unexplained bruises
  • scratches or skin burns
  • unexplained bone fractures
  • uncharacteristic behavior such as distress, depression, anger, and violence
    
    
• Psychological abuse occurs when a nursing home staff member or another nursing home resident says or does something through verbal or nonverbal acts that inflicts anguish, fear, humiliation or distress on a nursing home resident.
  
  Psychological abuse of nursing home residents can take many forms, including:
  • threats
  • coercion
  • yelling
  • belittling
  • isolation
  • and more

  Signs of psychological abuse include:

  • distress
  • agitation
  • depression
  • non-responsiveness
  • and uncharacteristic violence
    
    
• Financial abuse/theft occurs when a nursing home staff member or another nursing home resident illegally or improperly acquires a nursing home resident's money, property, and/or possessions for his or her own personal gain. Signs of financial abuse/theft include:

• depleted bank accounts
• missing money
• missing shoes and clothing
• missing personal items such as:
  • cell phones
  • jewelry
  • books
  • nick-knacks
  • picture frames
  • and other personal possessions
    
    
• Sexual abuse occurs whenever there is any type of nonconsensual sexual contact between a nursing home resident and the nursing home staff or another nursing home resident. Examples of sexual abuse include unwanted or inappropriate touching, rape, sodomy, sexually explicit photography, and sexual harassment. Symptoms of sexual abuse include:
  • bruises or scratches in a resident’s genital area;
  • bruises, scratches on a female resident’s breasts;
  • significant, unexplained fear or anxiety;
  • unexplained bleeding;
  • uncharacteristic behavioral changes;
  • or severe depression.

Staff-on-resident abuse

Nursing home abuse can take the form of staff-on-resident abuse. It often arises because residents are left in the care of individuals who are often overworked, underpaid and ill-equipped to care for the needs of the residents. Inevitably staff frustrations arise and at times these frustrations result in the abuse of nursing home residents. Any abusive behavior by a staff member is inexcusable and intolerable. It is also in violation of federal and state laws including those in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and California.

Resident-on-resident abuse

Nursing home abuse can also take the form of resident-on-resident abuse. It often results from the staff’s failure to separate and keep safe nursing home residents from other residents with known proclivities for violence. This failure to keep known violent residents away from the other residents may be a failure by the nursing home to properly assess and/or supervise residents. Such failures may amount to nursing home neglect. Federal, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California laws and regulations require all residents be properly assessed and supervised to ensure not only their own safety but also the safety of others around them.

Get Your Questions Answered

An experienced nursing home attorney is specialized in recognizing and identifying the signs and symptoms of nursing home abuse. A nursing home attorney is also familiar with uncooperative nursing homes that sometimes prefer to have such occurrences go undetected. With years of experience, our nursing home attorneys know exactly what to look for, where to find it, and with whom to speak to get you the answers you deserve. Contact The Nursing Home Attorneys and let them uncover the truth and make certain the wrongdoers are held accountable.