Detection Of Mistreatment At Elderly Healthcare Facilities

Mistreatments in elderly facility can cause problems at elderly facilities across the nation. If your loved one is a resident at any such facility then, you have to be very careful and always keep a watch on neglect or mistreatment.

Every human being reaches an age when they cannot carry out their daily tasks without any help. Hence, when they reach this age, elderly citizen’s care and health needs to be looked after by placing them in an extended living facility. Elderly facilities are known to be an important part of our society for they are the ones who provide with round –the-clock care to elderly people. As women and men age, their necessities and needs are similar to a young infant’s needs. Hence, they need to be placed in a facility where they can be looked after at all times.

These facilities are paid a good sum of money by NGOs as well as state to take care of the elderly people, however many a times their standard to care is not what it expected. Understaffing and overcrowded facilities have ended up creating an environment where the senior citizens do not get the kind of services that they deserve. Due to the shortage in staff, even the caregiver with best intentions is not able to give appropriate attention to all the patients.

Detection Of Mistreatment At Elderly Healthcare Facilities

Other then underpaid staffing issue and overworked staff, there is one more thing that is taking place in these facilities, and that is abusing the patient. There have been numerous cases where the patients have complained of physical abuse. Even though it might sound horrifying, it is however completely true. There are many types of abuses that take place in the elderly facilities. These facilities have abused emotionally as well as physically involving malnutrition, overmedicating, as well as sexual abuse.

If you find an injured nursing home patient, it is a possibility that he/she may have been a victim of physical abuse. In this case, abuse at the facility could consist of punching, slapping, hitting and unnecessary physical restraint. It could also mean heavily sedating and overmedicating the patient in order to control or punish them.

Sexual abuse in this case can be inclusive of forcing the elderly individual, sexual battery, sexual rape/assault, molestation as well as fondling, it can also include forcing the senior citizen in undressing and watching pornographic material. On the other hand, emotional abuse may include social isolation, belittling and threats. These abuses can result in psychological distress in the senior citizens.

Financial exploitation or abuse may be inclusive of taking money out of their bank by forcing them to write a check, or stealing cash from a purse or wallet of the elderly individual. Hence, if your loved one is in a facility and you observe an injured nursing home patient then you would want to carry out some investigations on the same. You also need to check with your loved one whether he/she has an unexplained bruising or whether their caregiver argues with them and your parent is scared of the staff. Check if anything is missing from their room, any jewelry or money has gone missing?? Also, check if there has been any unknown money transaction from the account or credit card. If yes, then immediately speak to the facility management and their highest authority. It is essential for you to keep a track of all of these other than checking the cleanliness in the room and keeping a regular track of their weight as well. This is recommended because unexplained malnutrition can also be a sign of abuse.


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