Elder Abuse and Neglect

What Is Elder Abuse?

Abuse of the elderly in nursing homes can take many forms. The abuse can be physical, mental, emotional, financial or even sexual. Often, the abuse is physical or results from neglect. It can appear as:

• Unexplained injuries
• Bedsores, pressure sores and skin ulcers that don’t heal
• Burns
• Unexplained infections and ineffective infection control
• Bruises
• Dehydration
• Septic shock
• Malnutrition
• Clogged breathing tubes
• Errors in medications
• Uncontrolled diabetes
• Unsupervised wandering or leaving the facility
• Unexplained falls
• Rapid weight loss
• Urinary tract infections
• Agitation and emotional withdrawal on the part of the patient
• The inability of caregivers to explain a condition or an accident

Common types of physical abuse include:

• Hitting
• Beating
• Slapping
• Punching
• Burning
• Pinching
• Kicking
• Scratching
• Inappropriate use of drugs or restraints
• Forced feeding

Verbal abuse can include:

• Yelling, screaming and hollering
• Threatening
• Name-calling
• Bullying
• Choking

Abuse of the elderly can also involve stealing from patients or asking them for money. It can even include sexual abuse without consent such as:

• Inappropriate touching
• Intercourse
• Rape
• Showing the patient pornography
• Forcing the patient to undress without reason

Physical abuse might also be failure or refusal to provide needed services, such as not dispensing prescribed medications or not performing needed therapies.