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SUSPECTED SIGNS OF NURSING HOME ABUSE OR NEGLECT
Nursing home abuse or neglect can take many forms: emotional/mental, verbal, and physical. If you believe a loved one is suffering abuse or neglect, look for these signs in your frequent visits:
- Unexplained injuries.
- Open wounds, cuts, bruises or welts.
- Unreasonable physical restraint.
- Giving too much medication.
- Not giving needed medication.
- Bed sores.
- Infections.
- Unsanitary and unclean conditions.
- Dehydration and/or malnutrition.
- Use of a physical or chemical restraint or psychotropic medication for any purpose not consistent with that authorized by the physician.
- Caretaker cannot adequately explain condition.
- Loved one reports of being slapped or mistreated.
- Slapping, pushing, shaking, beating.
- Forcing your loved one to stay in their room.
- Your loved one is emotionally upset or agitated.
- Your loved one is extremely withdrawn and non-communicative.
- They exhibit unusual behavior, such as sucking, biting, or rocking.
- They exhibit humiliating, insulting, frightening, threatening or ignoring behavior towards family and friends.
- Your loved one wants to be isolated from other people.
- Disregard for the necessities of daily living.
- Lack of care for existing medical problems.
- Failure to assist in personal hygiene, or in the provision of food, clothing
or shelter.
- Failure to protect from health and safety hazards.
- Poor access to medical services.
- Injuries requiring emergency treatment or hospitalization.
- Any incident involving broken bones, especially a fractured hip.
- Any injury or death occurring during or shortly after an episode of wandering (including outside the facility) when the staff is not aware that the resident is missing for some period of time.
- Heavy medication or sedation.
- Rapid weight loss or weight gain without physician or family notification and a change in treatment being provided.
- Unexplained or unexpected death of your loved one.
- Injuries caused by fellow residents.
- Loved one is frequently ill, and the illnesses are not promptly reported to the physician and you.
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