Is There Abuse?: 5 Key Signs There Is Elder Neglect

Aging is an unfortunate fact of life. We don’t stay young forever, and we don’t stay alive forever. However, one thing that we should always have is dignity.

The sad thing is that many of our loved ones are deprived of even that. Studies have shown that rates of elder neglect and abuse in long-term care facilities are quite high. Many estimate that roughly one-quarter of residents will be neglected or abused.

It’s not always nursing home staff either. More often than not, elder abuse is perpetrated by a relative.

You may think abuse is present, but how can you be sure? We’ll talk about key signs of elder neglect and abuse in this article.

Injuries

The most obvious sign of abuse is physical injury. These can come in many forms, from bruises to cuts, and even broken bones.

Some may be quick to dismiss these as accidents, but they’ll seem too frequent to be accidents. Even if they are accidents, why are they happening so often if the person has a caregiver?

The victim will often refuse to explain them or will offer strange explanations that make little sense. The caregiver will usually lie and blame the victim. The injuries will be attributed to accidents or actions performed while the victim was confused.

Dementia is an all-too-common condition, affecting 10 percent of senior citizens. Abusers will use it to their advantage.

Weight Loss

Neglect is also considered a form of elder abuse. Victims of elder neglect may show signs of weight loss.

This weight loss usually occurs far faster than is healthy, and is usually a sign of not being fed. This is one of the more telling signs of elder abuse, largely because of how obvious it is.

Abusers may claim ignorance in other matters, such as medicine, but you can’t claim you didn’t know someone needed food.

Again, the abuser will usually blame their victim, claiming they won’t eat. The simple way to disprove this is to give them food and watch them. If they eat, the caretaker is lying.

If you think your loved one may be a victim of neglect, please contact Richard Berberian.

Increased Isolation

It’s a common strategy for abusers to cut their victim off from others so they can’t ask for help.

The victim may isolate themselves to a certain extent. It’s common for people to be ashamed, afraid, or sad about the situation, so talking about it isn’t easy.

Elder Neglect And Abuse And How To Spot It

Elder neglect and abuse is tragically common in our society. It occurs in long-term care facilities and private homes. Many people don’t notice it until it’s too late.

We’ve talked about some ways to spot elder neglect and abuse, but there are many other signs as well. We encourage you to do more research on your own. It may be useful some day.

If you want to know more about legal action and how to go about filing a case please visit our site.