Three Nursing Home Employees Fired After Abuse Is Discovered in a Massachusetts Facility
Jury Blames Manor Care Nursing Home For Dehydration Death of Patient
Jail Time for Nursing Home Workers Involved In Abuse of Elderly
These are a few of the headlines in 2011.  The thought is disturbing, but abuse of the elderly occurs all too often. Though many are not aware of it or find it hard to accept, nursing home abuse lawyer is a tragically common occurrence.
According to the National Academy of Sciences Panel to Review the Risk and Prevalence of Elder Abuse and Neglect, causes of nursing care home abuse are staff burnout, lack of proper staff training, stressful working conditions, and staff shortages. Those understaffed facilities or insufficiently trained and/or supervised employees can be fertile ground for many forms of elder abuse.
Physical abuse is perhaps the most obvious form of abuse because it usually can be observed by others who interact with the resident.
Emotional abuse is usually a verbal form of abuse; shouting, threatening language, words of ridicule and humiliation, all can cause severe emotional pain, distress, anxiety, and even fear.
Financial abuse is the most common occurrence in the abuse of the elderly. Extortion, identity theft, and health care fraud are easily perpetrated, as the elderly are the most vulnerable adults in our society.
Not to be overlooked, passive abuse is insidious and difficult to spot, but it is found in all forms of neglect.  Deprived of basic needs, residents can be without food or water, have medications withheld, have no access to bathroom facilities, or be forced into long periods of isolation.
Houston personal injury attorney As distasteful as it is, sexual abuse is also a reality among the reported incidents of elder abuse.
If the number of substantiated reports is put into play (and the estimate that only 1 in 14 elder abuse incidents are reported), we are looking at 30% of nursing homes with more than one account of abuse. As our elderly population increases and nursing home care is favored over in-home care, we must become aware and proactive in protecting our senior citizens.