Abuse is a broad term that comprises many actions, behaviors, and treatments—from disregard, disrespect, and negligence to intentional maltreatment and violence. It happens everywhere to everyone around the world. No one is unfortunately exempted from it, even those who are living in nursing homes.

Nursing home residents’ rights are also protected by both federal and state law and their most basic and primary right is to have access to an environment free of any form of abuse and neglect. However, this fundamental right end up being infringed when they face one or more forms of nursing home abuse, especially from the people who were meant to care for them.

Common Types of Nursing Home Abuse

Abuse has many different classifications, and they vary in their degrees of severity. However, the five common types are as follows:

General and Medical Neglect

General neglect is either an intentional or unintentional act of failure to provide the proper care or basic life needs that their victims require. It is generally the result of carelessness, indifference, and oversight.

General and medical neglect in a nursing home can be committed in several ways, which include:

• Failing to provide basic human necessities such as clean food and water
• Constantly forgetting or improperly administering necessary medications
• Leaving residents unattended for an extended time
• Allowing residents to remain uncleaned in their excrement
• Failing to give regular baths
• Failing to ensure cleaned and sanitized rooms
• Dismissing or ignoring a resident’s complaints against staff or other residents
• Failing to report any injuries or illnesses to medical staff, physicians, or family members on time
• Failing to ensure both the safety and security of residents

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse in nursing homes involves intentionally causing injury or pain to the victim, which ranges from striking a resident with a hand or object to kicking, shaking, shoving, slapping, or even restraining them against their will.

The following signs of physical abuse may include:

• Wounds like cuts and abrasions,
• Bruises,
• Fractures,
• Dislocations,
• Burns and scalds,
• Head injuries, and
• Internal injuries.

Pay close attention if a care home staff attributes these types of injuries to the victim’s clumsiness, unexplained falls, or other circumstances that are not necessarily a characteristic of the victim’s health profile.

Do note that victims or facility may suddenly refuse you, a visitor, to let you visit them, your loved one, alone because they might use this time to let the victim heal from the injuries inflicted. These situations may be considered as a potential red flag and must require urgent investigation.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse in nursing homes consists of verbal and non-verbal acts to cause psychological anguish, distress, or pain. Bullying, coercion, harassment, humiliation, intimidation, insulting the appearance or intelligence, name-calling, yelling, and isolation are included in this type of abuse.

The following signs of emotional abuse may include:

• Anxiety
• Agitation
• Depression
• Fearfulness (especially when it is time for the visitor to leave the premises)
• Repressed speech
• Emotionally withdrawn
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) symptoms

A resident may be experiencing abuse if they, the victim, develop emotional or psychological symptoms that do night align with their existing health conditions. Most abusers use this tactic to gain control of the victim to exploit them financially or sexually, thinking that it will prevent them from reporting the attack.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse involves any type of sexual contact without the victim’s consent. Forcing the victim to disrobe or abuser exposing themselves to the victim is also included in this type of abuse.

The following signs of sexual abuse may include:

• Trouble sitting or sitting
• Unexplained pelvic pain or bleeding
• Skin irritation, especially in the genital or buttock area
• Recurring Urinary Tract Infections or UTI
• Unexplained Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs
• Emotionally withdrawn
• Fearfulness
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms or PTSD
• Bruises

Sexual and physical abuse may take place simultaneously, and abusers may manipulate the resident psychologically to gain control of them or their finances.

Family members and friends should note any or sudden unexplained changes in behavior or personality that cannot be necessarily attributed to the victim’s health profile.

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse in nursing homes happens when the abuser intentionally manipulates and exploits the resident to gain financial control over them. Abusers usually befriend the resident and gain their trust to get information that would help them access funds without the victim’s authorization.

The following signs of emotional abuse may include:

• Stealing the resident’s documents such as IDs and bank statements
• Stealing any of the resident’s possessions such as money or jewelry
• Prohibiting the resident to access their funds
• Forging any of the resident’s documents
• Deceiving or forcing the resident into giving up control of their money or assets
• Misusing the power of attorney

Financial abuse causes despair, and stress for residents as most of them lose their means of paying for long-term care, income, or savings to pay for their other financial responsibilities.

Knowing the many types of nursing home abuse is crucial if one is a current resident or planning on going to such a place. It is vital not only for yourself but also for family members and friends to know the potential signs of abuse that can and do happen in care homes. Recognizing these marks will help protect the victims from such horrific incidents and spare everyone, including loved ones, from heartbreak and trauma.