Elderly facing abuse and neglect at long term care facilities is a reason for national concern. More than 2 million Americans are living in these long term care facilities with the federal nursing home regulations stating that the residents of the nursing homes have the right to be free from verbal, sexual, physical abuse, mental abuse, corporal punishment, and involuntary seclusion.
When the elderly are subjected to either abuse like injury inflicted on them, unreasonably confining them, intimidating them or punishing them at the care facilities, neglecting their care, it can be said the nursing home is abusing and neglecting them. Sometimes this abuse and negligence can be life threatening and dangerous.
One can spot common signs of physical or verbal abuse and neglect when an incident that involves fractures, injuries and/or death happen. Certain facilities start abusing the elderly by heavily medicating or sedating them. The residents start getting frequently ill, badly dehydrated, emotionally upset and agitated. They start to withdraw from life and become non communicative.
Sometimes the senior citizens try to escape from the whole situation to free themselves from the situation by running away from the facility. They are pushed to the limits so that they start losing or gaining a lot of weight. One can spot the signs of malnutrition in them. There are some unexplained injuries like wounds, cuts, or bruises with them living in unsanitary and unclean conditions. Unusual and suddenly changing behavior or the adults can be the initial stage of spotting the abuse.