Identifying Elder Care Abuse – How You Can Spot the Signs

Written by Steven Peck, ESQ. Category: Assisted Living January 12th, 2018 3 min read

Identifying Elder Care Abuse – How You Can Spot the Signs

by Lori Thomas, Senioradvice.com.

When we put our senior loved one’s lives in the hands of an elder care professional, we are putting a great deal of faith in these individuals. We also understandably assume that they are going to have our loved one’s best interests at heart. Unfortunately, while many senior care providers do provide quality care for seniors, there are countless cases of elder care abuse each and every year and examples of caregivers abusing their role and harming the very seniors they are supposed to be looking after.

Elder abuse can be in the form of emotional, physical or even financial abuse and while some seniors may be aware of their abuse, many don’t even realize it is happening to them. This is why it is so important you are able to step in.

While no one ever wants their senior loved one to be a victim of this type of abuse, these situations happen each and every day. This is why it is important that you are able to look for and identify the signs of elder care abuse, so you can spot it, report it and prevent it from happening again.

These are the signs of physical elder abuse:

Unexplained bruises, welts or scars (most commonly, these signs of injury will appear symmetrically on both sides of the body)
Broken bones or dislocations
Sprains or tender areas on the body
Seniors who suddenly are hand shy or flinch when someone lifts their hand
Broken eye glasses
Signs of rope or ties on the wrist restraining your loved one
Caregivers acting suspicious of you visiting with your loved one alone

These are the signs of emotional elder abuse

Witnessing signs of belittling your loved one
Controlling behavior from your caregiver
Reports or signs of threats
Behavior that mimics dementia such as rocking or mumbling, in seniors that don’t have dementia

These are the signs of sexual elder abuse

Bruises or marks around genitals or breasts
Unexplained vaginal or anal bleeds
Torn, bloody or stained underwear

These are the signs of neglect from an elder caregiver

Unexplained weight loss
New, untreated physical issues like bed sores
Seniors who are left dirty or in dirty living conditions
Seniors wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather

These are the signs of financial elder abuse

Significant withdrawals from the senior’s bank account
Cash or valuable items missing from the senior’s home
Suspicious changes in wills or power of attorney
Addition of names to the senior’s signature card
Unpaid bills when the senior can afford them
Suspicious financial activity the senior could not have performed

Keep these warning signs in mind if your loved one is under any type of elder care. The more diligent you are about spotting these signs, the better your chances are of preventing a corrupt elder care provider from harming those you love the most.

Credit: Avoiding Abuse in Elder Care Facilities

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Written by Steven Peck, ESQ.

Expertise: Personal Injury

Attorney Steven Peck has been practicing law since 1981. Within the first three years, after some colleagues and friend’s parents endured nursing home neglect and elder abuse, he continued his education to protect those involved in personal injuries. For over 43 years, his dedication has been unyielding. Steve's approach to client representation and care is deeply respected by his colleagues and clients alike. Steven Peck has extensive trial experience and has recovered tens of millions of dollars in damages for clients.