Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect Attorneys in St. Joseph, MO

What kinds of abuse occur in St. Joseph nursing homes?

There are several types of nursing home abuse or neglect your senior loved one may endure. While physical is where the average person’s mind goes, there are others that may not be as common. The National Center on Elder Abuse describes the following types of abuse seniors suffer from:

Physical abuse: This relates to any force that is used to cause bodily injury, physical pain, or even an impairment on another person. There are signs you can look for that can constitute nursing home abuse such as:

• Black eyes
• Broken or fractured bones
• Sudden change in behavior
• Bruises, cuts, or unusual marks
• Untreated injuries, open wounds, or punctures
• Irregular medication dosages
• The nursing home staff refused to allow visitors
• The senior explicitly stated that there was abuse.

Most often this will result from hitting, punching, pinching, slapping, shaking, and even burning a senior resident. This is unacceptable and very often intentional behavior that should be addressed by contacting a St. Joseph’s nursing home abuse & neglect attorney.

Emotional abuse: Nursing home residents should be emotionally and physically taken care of, not abused. There are signs you can look for that can mean they are being abused such as:

• Treating the resident as a child
• Verbal assault
• Intimidation
• Withdrawal from the senior
• Isolation of the senior from other residents and loved ones
• The senior reporting the emotional or psychological abuse

This abuse may result in the senior suffering from anxiety or other mental health issues as a result.

Sexual abuse: This is often unimaginable for many loved ones, but it is a very real danger. This is any sexual act that one party has forced another to participate in without their consent. Signs that you can look for are:

• Unexplained STDs
• Torn or bloody clothing
• Cuts and bruises around the vaginal, penis, or anal areas
• Unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding
• The senior reporting sexual abuse

This form of abuse is often seen as rape, sexually explicit photos, sodomy, and forced nudity. This is one of the most traumatic situations a person or elder will ever go through.

Financial abuse: Since seniors are often not able to handle their own finances the way they once used to, nursing home staff may take advantage of them. The seniors believe they can trust the staff as they are their caretakers and instead, they are shocked to find out that all their money is gone. Some signs of financial abuse include:

• Unpaid bills
• Large bank withdrawal
• Loss of possessions such as heirlooms and other valuables
• Adding a staff member's name to bank accounts and wills
• The senior reporting suspicion of final abuse

Financial abuse will leave traces for loved ones and a St. Joseph nursing home abuse & neglect attorney to follow. Some examples of financial abuse include:

• Stealing
• Forgery
• Cashing checks that the senior is unaware of
• Not consulting with the senior’s family about financial transactions and decisions
• Power of attorney being changed to a staff member's name without authorization from relevant parties.

Whoever has access to the senior's accounts should keep a close eye on them to ensure there are no unauthorized or strange transactions.