Physical Abuse & Assault
Signs of Abuse
There is not much published data or articles on abuse and neglect in nursing homes beyond the headlines you see when such a case is brough out into the open. The one study I could find (from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging) showed a total incident rate of about 61 cases per every 1,000 residents. This is about twice the rate of the noninstitutionalized elderl. But that same study states only 1 in 14 cases of abuse is reported, so the number may be much higher.
Identifying abused residents is very challenging. The abuse resident is usually either fearful of more abuse of suffering from dementia to the point of not being able to give a history of the abuse. It is up to the nursing home administrator, who is already overworked, to conduct a methodical investigation. This usually requires interviewing much of the staff - a very time intensive task. One place where I do see a lot of cases getting “caught” is where the resident has to be temporarily discharged over to a hospital. There the nurses who are not part of the system are usually in a better position to figure out something is not right. Otherwise, you are at the mercy of nursing home staff members who often must risk their jobs to report suspected abuse.
Physical Signs of Nursing Home Abuse
Unlike neglect, which usually manifests in more subtle ways, physical abuse usually results in:
- fractures
- bruises
- cuts
- facial or genital wounds
- restraint marks on wrists or ankles
- bald spots on the resident’s head (from hair being torn out)
Other Signs of Physical Abuse
A good nursing home attorney can also see evidence of abuse in the medical records. Of course this raises the problem that you have to at least be talking to a lawyer about your case to get to this kind of review. When I am screening cases for abuse, I am always on the lookout for:
- documented bruising that does not have corresponding “incidents” noted in the records
- bruising that does not match the description of the incident
- spiral fractures in a resident’s wrist - this can indicate a resident’s arm was grabbed and twisted
- any unexplained behavior after physical signs of abuse start to appear
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GEORGIA RESOURCES
- Georgia Council on Aging
- Georgia Council of Community Ombudsmen
- Georgia Office of Regulatory Services: Long-Term Care
- Georgia's Long Term-Care Ombudsmen Program