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Emotional abuse of nursing home residents

On Behalf of | Aug 15, 2019 | Elder Abuse |

Nursing home residents are often at the mercy of the staff members who care for them. While seniors can have a great experience during their time in the facility, there is also a chance that they will fall victim to some form of abuse. Many people choose to focus on physical abuse, but there is another type that is just as horrific. This is psychological abuse, which is sometimes called emotional abuse.

The issue with this type of nursing home resident abuse is that the signs might not be as obvious as what occurs with physical abuse. You have to pay close attention to the behavior of your loved one if you are going to spot emotional abuse. Many of the symptoms that they might exhibit are also common with age-related conditions like dementia.

One of the impacts that it can have on the elderly is that they begin to feel depressed. This can cause them to give up activities that they once enjoyed — which can sometimes be chalked up to physical impairments instead of depression.

A patient being emotionally abused might seem to be a bit more withdrawn than normal. This might be due to forced isolation that is caused by the abuser. The staff member responsible for the abuse may not want them around other people. You might notice a staff member hovering around when you are visiting your loved one. If so, this is a sign that you need to get your loved one someplace where you can have a frank and open discussion.

Sometimes, nursing home residents don’t want to cause problems so they stay quiet about what’s going on with them. This is a tragedy because it takes your chance to help them correct issues. If you think something is amiss, it is best to take action right away.

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