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3 signs that signify nursing home abuse and neglect

On Behalf of | Jan 24, 2022 | Nursing home |

You placed your father in a nursing home after a couple years of trying to care for him yourself. You no longer could do so, and your family decided that a nursing home was the best option.

It was a safe place where your father would have regular care, and your family received reassurance from the nursing home’s management. But only after a few weeks, you became concerned that abuse and neglect supplanted care and attention. You saw the obvious signs.

Dehydration and bedsores

Here are some of the tell-tale signs that abuse and neglect occur in a nursing home:

  • Dehydration and malnutrition: An obvious sign that your loved one is not receiving the food and fluid that he or she needs. An emaciated frame, loss of muscle mass, irritability, fatigue, confusion and extreme thirst point to malnutrition and dehydration. Poorly trained, inattentive and abusive staff may be the cause. Maybe staff members do not spot the signs that a resident needs aid when eating or follow appropriate ways to help him or her eat a drink.
  • Inexplicable injuries: Bruises on the face, arms and legs should raise suspicions. The same goes for fractures to arms, hands, fingers, wrists, legs and ankles. Even a punctured eardrum. Staff members may attempt to cover up these injuries by providing far-fetched explanations.
  • Unsightly bedsores: They often occur when a person is immobile for extended periods while lying in bed or sitting in a wheelchair. Bedsores leave painful red spots that may appear on the shoulder blades, backs and sides of knees, back of the head, buttocks and heels. The person likely does not even sense the pain. If untreated, bedsores penetrate parts of the body such as muscles and bones.

If you discover neglect or abuse, the sadness, anger and frustration may boil to the top. You may feel helpless, but you are not. Take swift action.

Remove them from home, take legal action

If you suspect abuse or neglect, it is time to remove loved ones from that nursing home. You want them to be safe during the last years of their lives, not fearful as a victim. Then you should consider pursuing legal action.