What You Need to Know About Elder Abuse & Exploitation

The elderly are not only physically fragile, but they also often suffer from cognitive impairment or dementia, leaving them vulnerable to physical abuse and financial exploitation. Tragically, around five million elder Americans suffer from abuse each year, including those reliant upon caregivers in nursing homes.

When an elderly loved one’s care needs begin to exceed their family’s abilities, they or their family members find the best possible nursing home within their budget. Unfortunately, Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers have seen nursing home staff and administrators failing to fulfill their legal duty of care. It’s crucial for anyone with an elderly loved one in a long-term care facility to understand the dangers of elder abuse and exploitation in Georgia and elsewhere.

What Types of Elder Abuse Occur in Nursing Homes?

Nursing homes often experience understaffing and high staff turnover rates, leaving residents in the hands of inexperienced, overwhelmed caregivers. In many facilities, the resident-to-caregiver ratio is too high for safe, compassionate care. 

Five recognized categories of abuse occur in many nursing homes, including those described below:

• Neglect: the failure to meet a resident’s basic needs for hydration, nutrition, medical care, and hygiene, and failure to administer correct and timely medications
• Physical abuse: hitting, kicking, pushing, pinching, or otherwise assaulting an elderly person
• Emotional abuse: yelling, swearing, threatening, intimidating, or berating an elder
• Sexual abuse: unwanted touching or penetration by a caregiver or another resident
• Financial abuse: exploiting an elderly person for financial gain

When an elderly loved one resides in a nursing home or requires a caregiver, it’s beneficial for family members to spend time with them. This not only benefits family closeness but also allows the opportunity to assess the elderly loved one for signs of abuse.

What Are the Signs of Elder Abuse?

An elderly resident may be physically or cognitively unable to report their abuse to loved ones or nursing home administrators. In other cases, they may choose not to report neglect and abuse due to feelings of shame or the desire to spare loved ones from burden. Instead, family members should watch for common signs of elder abuse and exploitation, including the following:

• Unexplained injuries such as head injuries, fractures, lacerations, contusions, and signs of physical restraint use, such as chafing or bruising around the wrists and ankles
• Sudden weight loss
• Dry, cracked lips and skin
• Torn or bloodied bedsheets and clothing
• Broken eyeglasses, dentures, or hearing aids
• Poor hygiene and unkempt appearance
• Untreated or infected bedsores
• Unconsumed meals and drinks left in the room or on tables
• Bruising or bleeding around the private parts
• Social withdrawal
• Changes in personality, mood, or demeanor
• Intentional isolation from loved ones
• Fear of speaking while a caregiver is in the room
• Unexplained financial transactions in the elderly person’s accounts

Because the elderly are physically and emotionally vulnerable, the ill effects of all types of elder abuse quickly take a toll, leading to adverse health effects, cognitive decline, and shortened life span.

Understanding Elderly Financial Exploitation

Financial exploitation is often overlooked as a form of abuse, but the Nursing Home Abuse Center defines elderly exploitation as an egregious form of abuse that has devastating physical and emotional consequences for the victim. Common types of elderly financial abuse include stealing an elderly person’s valuables, making unauthorized withdrawals and charges on their accounts, scamming an elder out of money, or accessing and using their home, vehicle, and personal items. Another type of financial exploitation occurs when a family member, friend, or caregiver unlawfully takes an elder’s power of attorney.

Financial exploitation happens to elderly Americans in and outside of nursing homes and may result from a family member’s exploitation as well as from a caregiver.

Reporting Elder Abuse and Exploitation

It’s imperative to report signs of elder abuse to the nursing home administration or caregiver agency and to the police. Elders and family members can also report the abuse to their local ombudsman, through state reporting agencies, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.