Category: nursing home abuse and neglect

Physical and emotional abuse are tragedies that occur far too often, but what happens when the harm is monetary?

Here are some ways that nursing home staff may commit financial abuse of their elderly patients.

Theft

Nursing homes are not usually equipped with high-security locks or alarms on individual rooms, as these features would make it difficult for nurses and doctors to reach residents quickly. Because of this, general theft is difficult to thwart. A purse left hanging in a closet or a wallet lying on a table can become easy targets.

Fraud

Nursing homes and staff have ample opportunity to trick elderly residents into paying for services or items that they are not actually receiving. For example, facilities may charge name-brand medication prices but issue cheaper generic options or add fees for equipment and activities that were never provided. Tacking additional costs onto a resident’s bill is relatively easy for dishonest caregivers to do, especially when there are cognitive issues involved.

Undue influence

People in positions of authority sometimes take advantage of their power. This can happen in caregiver and elder relationships, especially in nursing homes when the aging individual relies completely on the nursing staff. Elderly people are often considered vulnerable, which makes them at higher risk for succumbing to the influence of others. A manipulative individual may convince a facility resident to make changes to their will or sign a power of attorney.

Keep a close watch out for any signs of elder abuse, which means monitoring financial statements, as well.

If you have a loved one who is in a nursing home, you may have concerns about elder abuse, and rightfully so. According to national research on nursing home mistreatment, there is a serious problem across the United States. Elder abuse and neglect does not just happen; it is common.

To get a better look at the whole picture, it can be helpful to put things into numbers. Based on data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Justice and the World Health Organization, abuse can happen to anyone.

Two out of three nursing home staff have abused residents

Around the world, two out of three nursing home employees reported abusing residents over the past year during a recent WHO elder abuse survey; a substantial number of those occurred in the United States. Every year, there are at least 5 million US nursing home complaints of abuse. While many reports are for verbal offenses, there are others that involve physical harm. None are okay.

Neglect is the most common form of nursing home abuse

Most often, nursing home staff commit abuse by depriving residents of basic life necessities. In many cases, this is due to inadequate caregiver training, but there have also been intentional cases, too. Another common form of abuse is financial abuse. This is especially true if a resident has mental deterioration as many of those with dementia do.

Understanding the realities of nursing home abuse can help you spot it if it occurs to someone you love. Speaking up can save a life.

When you leave your loved one at a nursing facility, you expect them to receive humane and kind treatment from helpful professionals. Unfortunately, you cannot personally vet every worker at the facility, which could end tragically for your loved one.

In order to help advocate for your loved one, you need to keep your eye out for potential red flags that might indicate abuse.

Physical injuries and revolving door staff

Care Pathways looks into the problem of abuse and neglect in nursing homes. First, keep an eye out for unexplained physical injuries. Of course, some things simply happen due to forgetfulness and clumsiness that comes along with age. However, if you notice any bruises, scrapes, cuts or abrasions that seemingly appear out of nowhere with no reason, start questioning staff.

Speaking of staff, keep an eye out for a “revolving door” staff. Do you see the same faces every time you visit your loved one, or do you hardly ever recognize anyone working there? If staff constantly revolves, it might indicate a poorly structured facility that overburdens its employees.

Monitoring your loved one’s behavior

Watch your loved one’s reactions and behaviors, too. Do they withdraw in the presence of any particular staff members? Have they displayed more signs of depression or aggression recently? These may all indicate the possibility of abuse.

Many cases of abuse and neglect stem from an overtaxed, understaffed system, which often drives caretakers to skimp on the attention they give each individual patient or even lash out in their anger. But your loved one should not have to suffer for the flaws of a system, so you should consider contacting legal help quickly.

After making the difficult decision to move an elderly loved one into the nursing home, you should be able to trust the staff at the facility to provide adequate care. Regrettably, nursing home neglect and abuse probably occur more often than you think.  

In a nursing home, neglect happens when professionals do not provide the care your loved one needs. Abuse, by contrast, involves inflicting physical, emotional or financial harm. If you suspect your elderly loved one may be the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, you have some options. 

1. Gather some evidence

You may not be comfortable making accusations without concrete facts. Therefore, you should gather as much evidence as possible about the abuse or neglect. Talk to your loved one, other residents and nursing home staff. Also, create a contemporaneous journal about your observations.  

2. Lodge a complaint

Once you determine something is terribly wrong, you should complain to the nursing home administrator. Often, nursing homes have forms for lodging complaints. You also should be certain to keep notes about your interactions with the administrator, including a copy of any reports you file.  

3. Call the authorities

If you believe your relative is in imminent danger or has been the victim of abuse, you should call the police. Otherwise, you may want to file an official complaint with the Tennessee Division of Health Care Facilities. You can file this complaint over the telephone, through an online portal or in writing. If your complaint involves a serious allegation, an official investigation should happen promptly.  

If your loved one’s physical well-being is in jeopardy, removing him or her from the nursing home may be necessary. Ultimately, though, your elderly loved one may be eligible for substantial financial compensation for the neglect or abuse he or she suffers at the nursing home.  

When your parent or elder loved one moves into a nursing home, you may feel relieved knowing that the person you love is going to have regular care and supervision. However, many nursing homes across Tennessee and the nation struggle to maintain adequate staff. When nursing homes do not have enough workers, the quality of care those homes provide suffers as a result.

Per PBS, nursing home understaffing is a rampant problem across the nation, with a review of about 14,000 nursing home payroll records showing how problematic nursing home understaffing actually is.

Understaffing statistics

The review of the payroll records of about 14,000 nursing homes revealed that seven out of every 10 of them had lower staffing levels than they reported to the government. Furthermore, since 2014, health inspectors across the United States have cited one out of every eight nursing homes for not maintaining adequate staff. The problem appears to be particularly severe on weekends. Some residents and family members report that their nursing homes, or that their loved one’s nursing homes, look like “ghost towns” on weekends.

Understaffing risks

Your loved one may suffer most when his or her nursing home lacks adequate staff. If your loved one needs mobility help, understaffing makes it harder for him or her to get that help when it becomes necessary. Nursing home falls often increase when facilities lack adequate staff, and the chances of your loved one or other immobile residents developing bedsores also increase under these conditions.

Before placing a parent or other loved one in a specific nursing home, consider asking about its staff-to-resident ratio and how much turnover there is among staff members.

Moving a parent to a nursing home can be a difficult decision. Understanding the signs of neglect or abuse in a long-term care setting can help you monitor the level of care your loved one receives. 

Seek help if you notice any of these changes after placing an older family member in a nursing home environment. 

Emotional symptoms of neglect and abuse

Seniors who experience poor treatment may: 

• Be afraid of being alone 
• Be on edge, uneasily startled or nervous 
• Stop eating normally 
• Have sleeping problems 
• Experience mood swings 
• Develop new fears 
• Seem agitated 
• Speak less 
• Withdraw from loved ones, friends and activities 
• Try to leave the nursing home unsupervised 

Always take reports of abuse or neglect from your family member seriously, even if he or she displays confusion. 

Physical signs of mistreatment

When you visit your loved one, be aware of physical changes such as: 

• Fatigued or exhausted appearance 
• Unexplained weight loss 
• Injuries, bruises and cuts with no reasonable explanation 
• Lack of personal hygiene and care 
• Bedsores or pressure sores 
• Signs of dehydration 

You should also note whether the room seems clean and has your family member’s personal items in order. Missing paperwork, documents, checkbooks or credit cards could be a red flag of financial exploitation. 

If you suspect nursing home abuse or neglect in Tennessee, you can file a complaint with the state’s Department of Health. Your family may also have grounds for a medical malpractice or personal injury lawsuit on behalf of your injured loved one. You have only one year from the incident date to file this type of claim in Tennessee. 

While most adults want to provide the best care possible for their parents, the reality is that different health conditions make it difficult for them to be there around the clock. Rather than let their parents suffer, many adults make the difficult decision to put their parents in a nursing home. Before doing so, adults usually conduct research as to which place will serve their parents’ needs the most. It is a difficult decision and one not made easily. Therefore, when a nursing home is charged with neglect, it can hit a little too close to home.

Nursing home neglect

A registered nurse on the staff of a Tennessee nursing home faces abuse charges after a woman in her care died. According to reports, the 69-year-old patient developed an ulcer on her right heel and the case manager in question did not assess it properly. Consequently, the ulcer got worse and the resident had to get an emergency surgery on her foot, which had gotten gangrene on it. The case manager also did not inform the doctor and the resident’s family of her worsening health.

Criminal charges

Nursing home abuse and neglect is not only physical or emotional harm—it is often the result of a lack of proper care and attention, as in this case. The case manager in question is charged with elder abuse causing great bodily injury and could get 10 years in prison if she is convicted.

If a Tennessee resident believes a loved one in a nursing home was not being provided adequate care and was injured, he or she may want to consult an experienced attorney to discuss their options.

One of the best ways to stop nursing home abuse and neglect is also one of the most obvious. If your loved one’s safety in a nursing facility concerns you, it is important to go out of your way to get to know the people in charge of his or her care.

Building relationships with nursing aides can be the difference between a neglectful situation and a blissful one. According to the AARP, you should insist on consistency and be picky about fit when it comes to nursing aides.

What needs to be consistent?

The best care tends to come from one nursing aide. One of the first questions to ask when you are shopping for assisted living is how often there is turnover in the nursing staff. Depending on your budget and the type of facility you are looking at, it may not be possible to have the same one or two aides 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

However, you will want to ensure that the number is as small as possible. It is much easier to develop mutual respect with a small number of people as compared to a cohort of nursing aides.

How picky should I be?

Even if an aide is completely polite and competent does not mean that the aide and your loved one will “click” on a personal level. Do not be afraid to shop around if necessary for a nursing aide that makes your loved one happy as well as ensures that he or she is well-cared for. It may take a few tries before you find somebody who works.

One of the few guarantees in life for people in Tennessee is they will grow older. People can do many different things to try and delay the effects of age, but people cannot stop time. Over time the body will break down and people are not able to do the same activities and things they were used to doing when they were younger. They also may develop various cognitive problems as they age. Eventually it may get to the point that people will need assistance in their daily lives.

If this situation arises, people may need to go to nursing homes where they can receive the care they need. If this becomes a reality, they will do their research and try to pick the best nursing home to live at. However, no matter how nice it may seem or the promises they may hear about the home, people can be the victims of nursing home abuse and neglect. This is an unfortunate reality, but one that loved ones should be aware of in order to stop it right away of it does occur.

Common types of nursing home abuse

There are many different types of abuse and neglect that can occur, but some are more common than others. Common types of abuse include:

• Physical abuse – this can include hitting, shoving kicking, the use of restraints, force feeding, improper drug administration and other types of physical contact
• Emotional/psychological abuse – this includes verbal assaults, insulting, threatening, intimidation, harassment and other types of abuse
• Neglect – this includes not performing the proper cares, not properly caring for hygiene, ignoring a patient, not providing medication and others.

People in Tennessee go to nursing home to receive the care they need. So, it is very unfortunate when the people charged with their care abuse them in the ways mentioned above or any other way as well. If people are the victim of nursing home abuse, they may have different types of recourse including financial compensation for the damages they suffered. Experienced attorneys understand these difficult situations and may be a useful resource.

You admitted your aging parent to a nursing home in Tennessee recently. Lately, you noticed changes in your loved one’s behavior. Could it be nursing home abuse or neglect?

Get facts on the matter with insights from the National Council on Aging. Arm yourself with knowledge to protect your mother or father.

The signs

To confirm your suspicions, look for specific and common indications of elder abuse. For instance, abuse victims may have visible pressure marks, bruising, abrasions or broken bones. Indications of neglect include poor hygiene, bedsores, sudden weight loss and neglected medical needs.

Nursing home residents may suffer non-physical abuse. Signs of financial abuse include odd shifts in financial status and mysterious transactions that your loved one does not remember making. Warning signs of emotional abuse range from odd changes in alertness and peculiar withdrawals from activities a person once enjoyed to unexplained depression and constant verbal fights between nursing home residents and caregivers.

The factors

Not all nursing home residents become victims of physical, financial or emotional abuse. Contributing factors include mental impairment, disabilities and isolation.

The affects

Those who suspect their loved ones may experience abuse at a nursing home must take quick action. Left unaddressed, victims have a higher risk of dying because of the abuse. Unchecked financial abuse can drain a victim’s finances. Most financial exploitation goes under-reported.

The prevention methods

Thankfully, you can prevent your aging parent from becoming a victim of abuse. Encourage your loved one to understand her or his legal rights and take care or her or his health. Estate planning helps prevent financial abuse, as does occasionally reviewing one’s will. Staying engaged with friends and family prevents isolation.