What is Nursing Home Neglect?
The National Center on Elder Abuse identifies seven types of nursing home abuse, including physical, emotional, sexual, financial, neglect, self-neglect, and abandonment. Get the facts on the signs and symptoms of nursing home neglect so you know what to look out for the next time you visit your elderly relative.
Identifying Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing home neglect involves the failure or refusal to provide for an older person’s necessities of life, including food, water, shelter, clothing, hygiene, medicine, comfort, personal safety, and other essentials included in a responsibility to an elder. Neglect is a form of nursing home abuse that often goes unreported, either due to an elderly person’s inability to communicate the abuse effectively, or due to threats and intimidation from the elderly person’s caretaker.
Common warning signs of nursing home neglect include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Dehydration, malnutrition, untreated bed sores, and poor personal hygiene
- Hazardous or unsanitary living conditions
- An elder's report of being mistreated
Nursing Home Neglect Statistics
While nursing home abuse is often an intentional and malicious act, nursing home neglect is more likely to stem from inattentiveness or incompetence. In fact, 90% of nursing homes in the United States are understaffed. Nevertheless, these statistics do not excuse the neglect of an elderly person, which is a heinous crime for which responsible parties must be held accountable.
If you suspect your elderly relative is experiencing neglect in their nursing home, bring it to the attention of the facility’s staff immediately. If you directly witness abuse or neglect, contact the authorities.
If you have reported the suspected abuse or neglect to the facility’s staff and have not seen improvements in your loved one’s situation, it’s in your best interest to contact an experienced personal injury attorney who can help you and your relative obtain the justice you deserve.
At Wagner Reese, our Indianapolis attorneys want to hear your story and offer a free consultation to help you understand your legal options.
Contact us today at (888) 204-8440 to learn how we can assist you.