Two Surprising Forms Of Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect

Law Blog

When talking of nursing home abuse or neglect, many people focus on physical and sexual injuries. Perhaps this is because these are some of the crimes greatly abhorred by the contemporary society and make a lot of headlines. However, there are forms of abuse that are just as bad such as:

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse mainly occurs through fraud and exploitation of seniors in nursing homes. It may take different forms such as deceiving the victim to sign a financial contract, cashing checks without permission, or charging for nonexistent healthcare services.

Elderly persons make "perfect" victims of these crimes for several reasons. For example, age-related brain changes make it hard for them to tell when others are acting suspiciously or untrustworthy. Also, the physical and mental frailties of old age mean that seniors have to rely on others to help them in their financial related tasks such as bank account management.

If your loved one is in a nursing home, then you should monitor his or her finances regularly to ensure that he or she isn't abused. Watch out for signs of financial abuse such as difficulty in paying bills, excessive gifting to non-family members or unexplained financial transactions.

Healthcare Abuse

Healthcare abuse involves denying the victim the healthcare he or she needs, providing him or her with substandard care or misrepresenting his or her medical needs. In most cases, healthcare abuse is intertwined with healthcare fraud, which involves charging for medical services that are unnecessary, substandard or nonexistent.

For example, a fraudulent healthcare provider may prescribe a heart rate monitor when he or she knows well that there is nothing wrong with the patient's heart. This form of abuse is particularly bad because apart from the financial loss, it may also put the patient's life in danger.

You should suspect that your loved one is experiencing this form of abuse if:

• He or she is always getting medical tests with no clear explanations
• You unearth medical charges for services you don't recall
• The nursing home cannot explain why your loved one needs the medical equipment he or she has been saddled with

Don't just take your parent or grandparent in a nursing home and leave him or her there. It is wise to visit him or her periodically not only to chat and make him or her feel loved, but also to check on his or her living standard and health. If you suspect that something is amiss, and the home cannot give you a satisfactory answer, then your best move is to consult an attorney.

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2 April 2015