Warning Signs of Nursing Home Abuse in Ohio (and What Families Can Do)
It’s often difficult for family members to decide to send their elderly loved ones to a nursing home. For many, it’s especially difficult to trust that nursing home professionals will truly take care of their elderly loved ones.
That is why it’s so disheartening when people find out that their loved ones in nursing homes are being abused. Here are a few warning signs that an elderly person is experiencing nursing home abuse in Ohio.
Recognizing Physical Indicators of Mistreatment
Often, many physical signs appear when someone is experiencing nursing home abuse. Some of these physical indicators include:
- Bruises, burns, black eyes, or welts
- Cuts, punctures, open wounds, or skin tears
- Rope marks or other signs of restraint
- Broken bones, fractures, sprains, or dislocations
- Internal injuries or unexplained bleeding
- Injuries in various stages of healing or without clear explanation
- Broken eyeglasses or other signs of force
- Signs of physical punishment or restraint
- Sudden behavioral changes in the elderly person
- Caregiver restricting visits or communication with others
- Elder reporting being hit, kicked, or otherwise mistreated
Identifying Behavioral Shifts
Just as there are numerous physical signs of nursing home abuse in Ohio, there are also numerous behavioral and emotional signs. In fact, behavioral and emotional shifts often precede or accompany physical abuse or neglect.
For example, if the personality of an elderly person in a nursing home in Ohio has drastically changed for no reason, it might be due to nursing home abuse. Similarly, if you find that your elderly loved one is abnormally anxious around certain nursing home staff, that could be a sign that the staff is abusing your loved one.
Another behavioral or emotional sign of nursing home abuse is an elderly person being extremely withdrawn, non-communicative, or non-responsive. Behavioral shifts like suddenly always using soothing techniques are also glaring red flags that some form of abuse is happening.
Another key sign of nursing home abuse is when elderly people exhibit behavioral or emotional shifts that are typical of depression. For example, one of the most common symptoms of depression is a change in sleeping patterns.
Spotting Financial Exploitation
One of the most overlooked warning signs of nursing home abuse is financial exploitation. In fact, financial exploitation is often an overlooked sign of elderly abuse in general.
Some key signs of financial elder abuse include the following:
- Sudden changes to bank accounts or banking activity
- New names added to accounts or cards
- Unauthorized withdrawals or transfers
- Changes to wills or powers of attorney
- Missing money or belongings
- Unpaid bills despite available funds
- Forged signatures on financial documents
- New claims on property or assets by relatives or others
- Unexplained asset transfers to others
- Charges for unnecessary services
- Unexplained credit card activity
- Elder reporting possible financial exploitation
Evaluating Possible Neglect
Often, elder abuse doesn’t come in the form of someone actively doing something to the elder. It comes from people neglecting the elderly individual. This is especially true when it comes to caretakers in places like nursing homes.
One way that nursing home staff in Ohio might neglect elderly residents is by not regularly giving them food and liquids to eat and drink. This form of neglectful elder abuse is common in Ohio because of its nursing home staffing shortages and its poor standard of care when it comes to nutrition.
Other forms of neglectful elder abuse that often arise in Ohio because of nursing home staffing shortages include not having enough staff to promptly help elderly residents eat food, use the bathroom, or get cleaned and dressed for the day.
In addition, Ohio nursing home staff may neglect to frequently change an elderly person’s diaper. Such neglect can cause soiled beds, foul orders, and unsafe living conditions. In fact, not keeping a nursing home facility clean is a systematic warning sign of resident endangerment.
How an Ohio Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Work Towards Justice
To hold a nursing home facility accountable for abusing or neglecting elderly residents, you must document the abuse, report it to the necessary authorities, and then file a personal injury claim or wrongful death lawsuit.
Thomas Law Offices specializes in these cases of nursing home abuse. When dealing with these cases, we will go as far as to investigate nursing home staffing ratios and facility history for you. That way, we can build as comprehensive a case on your behalf as possible.
If you need assistance with your personal injury or wrongful death claim or lawsuit due to nursing home abuse in Ohio, reach out to Thomas Law Offices.
