›› Nursing Home Abuse
It is something none
of us like to hear about, but that does happen- nursing home abuse. We
want our senior citizens to be well cared for, after all we all have
parents and grandparents that may well end up in this type of facility
because that’s all that is available to them. In the past,
families would have multi-generations living under the same roof, and
now this is simply not the case. Many families simply do not have the
room, nor do they have the financial resources to care for their aging
loved ones. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse occurs in all types of
facilities, and is not restricted to those for the poor, or that accept
Medicaid and Medicare patients. Some of the most prominent affluent
facilities in the country have had reported cases of nursing home
abuse, and of course, this is not something that they care to
publicize, but it does happen.
There are many online sites that you can visit that can alert you to
the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect. According to the Nursing
Home Abuse and Neglect Resource Center, abuse can include emotional,
physical, and verbal abuse, as well as other warning signs that
may signify that abuse is imminent. Physical abuse can
include many instances, such as, chemical or physical restraints, which
may not be warranted. Chemical restraints are usually used when a
patient is non-compliant or is demonstrating or threatening harm to him
or herself or others. A chemical restraint can only be obtained under
these circumstances, and cannot be used just to keep a patient quiet so
that they are not a ‘nuisance’. Other signs of
physical abuse may be in the case of required medications not being
given, or medications given in excess, physical or sexual abuse,
failure by staff to hydrate or offer nutrition, visible wounds, cuts,
bruises, welts, or any other unexplained injuries, or reports by the
person of hitting, slapping, pushing, shoving, or by ignoring repeated
legitimate requests by the client. Signs of nursing home abuse in the
form of neglect include not keeping the client safe from harm, not
taking measures necessary to prevent infection or decubitus ulcers (bed
sores), subjecting client to unclean or unsanitary conditions, allowing
client to soil him or herself with urine or feces without taking
measures to keep client clean, or not providing necessary and adequate
medical care to patient. Patients are also considered neglected if not
provided with the necessities of daily living, which can include social
interaction, compassion, or assistance with any other necessary need.
If you have a loved one in any long term care facility, be sure to
check out their credentials, and just take a general look around. If
the residents don’t seem too happy, they are probably not
being cared for properly. Talk to people, ask questions. Would you want
your loved one in a facility that would abuse or neglect them in any
way? I don’t think
so.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
