There’s nothing more horrendous than the knowledge that a family member has been abused in secret. The US used to be a trust-based society in which people could depend on others and the institutions they represent to always do the right thing. Sadly, today, this is not always the case. Evil people sometimes prey on the weakest, and the institutions set up to protect the weak sometimes look the other way. Learning more about how to spot the signs of nursing home neglect is one of the most effective ways to protect your loved one.

The communication barrier

One of the reasons why offenders can get away with abusing victims in a nursing home is due to the lack of communication that often exists in such institutions. Unfortunately, many family members who become patients in nursing homes have mental impairments that prevent them from effectively communicating with others. This includes ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Due to this inability to communicate, a patient may not even have the means to report the neglect or abuse they are experiencing in a nursing home to family members or anyone else. The perpetrators, often nurses or staff members, may also use this inability to communicate as a strategy for getting away with abuse, whether it’s neglect or even physical or sexual abuse. If the victim can’t complain, they assume they can get away with the worst.

Institutional failure

While the fact that predators may be hidden in the midst of an institution like a nursing home is terrifying enough, the frustration the family of victims can feel can be compounded even more by the institutional failure of the staff at every level of that nursing home to do anything to stop the abuse from taking place. Staff, for example, may not report evidence of abuse due to fear that management will retaliate against them. In other cases, management may ignore reports of abuse in order to avoid negative publicity and to protect the bottom line.

In fact, this kind of institutional failure doesn’t have to be completely purposeful or malicious for the nursing home to be liable. The standard, instead, is for it to be proven that negligence existed and those with a duty of care abandoned their responsibility to be vigilant.

The subtlety of evidence

In certain cases, families may remain ignorant of the abuse and neglect their family members are experiencing in a nursing home facility. Sometimes physical abuse is obvious in regard to things like bruises and injuries. In other cases, the evidence can be more subtle in regard to things like neglect and even sexual abuse. Neglect may manifest itself in things such as appearance, hygiene, weight loss, and more that occur more subtly over time.

Certain injuries, such as ulcers or bedsores, may be harder to detect without a full examination by a medical professional. Medical issues may develop that family members are unaware of due to the closed-off nature of a nursing home facility. Overall, a family member should be on the lookout for even subtle signs that something is wrong. Try to obtain and retain evidence of these symptoms of abuse and hand them over to a nursing home abuse lawyer if needed. They may become much more important if it is decided that a lawsuit is the best way forward.

Whatever the case may be, there is no excuse for neglect or abuse in a nursing home environment. It is expected that such facilities should only employ capable and responsible staff members that uphold the highest standards of care at all times for patients. It’s also expected that the institution of the nursing home itself always take quick and swift action to stop abuse and neglect when it occurs. If this does not happen, the victim and their family certainly have the right to hold that nursing home accountable.

Jordan Wayne, a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.