The challenges of having a loved one in a nursing home may be many. Not being able to have close contact with a person you love can be difficult. You may also be concerned about the well-being of a person you care a great deal about and fear the possibility of abuse. This makes it more important than ever to monitor your loved one routinely for signs of being violated. Being aware of what to look for can be extremely helpful to you.

Sign #1: Neglect

It's the job of the caregivers at the nursing home to take good care of the patient. However, due to hiring incompetent people or many other reasons, this may simply not be the case.

It's not uncommon for nursing home patients to suffer from neglect and listed below are some indications that this may be occurring:

1.    Not receiving medication – Your loved one may be on a variety of prescribed medications that can aid the health of this individual and offer a higher quality of life. However, if the proper medications aren't dispensed as necessary, this is known as neglect.

2.    Failure to attend to the patient – The caregiver should respond to any requests from the patient promptly, and if this isn't done, your loved one could suffer.

Sign #2: Sexual abuse

It's hard to think of an elderly person being violated sexually, but this does happen. You will want to be alerted to this situation as soon as possible and below are some things that may show you it's occurring:

1.    Withdrawing from others – Being isolated from others can be a sign of sexual abuse. This applies in particular if your loved one is afraid when a caregiver enters the room.

2.    Bleeding – Any signs of bleeding could be an immediate indication that your loved one may have been sexually violated and this should be investigated quickly.

It's a difficult decision to commit your loved one into a nursing home, and if you're faced with this issue, you will want to stay in touch. It's essential to the well-being of a person you care greatly about to do so and to work to stop any unwarranted behavior in its tracks at the earliest stage. You may want to consider consulting with a nursing home abuse lawyer at a law firm such as Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC to help you do so for the best results. 

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