Psychological Abuse in Nursing Homes
Nursing Home Lawyer
When you go to put your loved one into a nursing home you are expecting them to be treated with the utmost care. Their needs should be met and you know your loved one is going to get everything they need to be happy and healthy. However, that idea can be broken when you learn that your loved one is being abused.
While the physical abuse is obvious there is a type that is harder to identify as many things can cause psychological issues. If you suspect anything don’t hesitate to reach out to a nursing home lawyer in Maryland. Here at Brown Kiely LLP, our lawyers have the experience to help you understand your case and the compassion to help you and your family.
Signs of Psychological Abuse in Elderly Patients
It can be difficult to know if your elderly loved one is being abused psychologically as there are many things that can change someone’s mental state. Is it adjusting, an illness, or some new limitation they are having to deal with, or is it because they are being abused. It can be hard to tell but here are ways that staff, volunteers, or other residents can psychologically abuse someone:
- Intimidating by yelling or threatening
- Humiliating or ridiculing
- Scapegoating and blaming on a regular basis
- Ignoring the resident and not tending to needs
- Isolating the resident from others
- Terrorizing the resident
- Using limitations against the resident
Symptoms of Psychological Abuse
Knowing the signs is a great start to learning of your elderly loved one is being abused, but often these things go on when you aren’t there. You’ll have to be extra vigilant in knowing what to look for when it comes to finding out about your loved ones. Here are some of the symptoms to look out for:
- Your loved one has low self-esteem
- They avoid eye contact when talking to you or others
- They do not speak openly or avoid questions about staff
- They often seem hopeless, scared, or distressed in general
- They have a sudden change in eating or sleeping
- Your loved one has sudden mood changes that is nothing like something in the past
- They are prevented from seeing you or calling you
- They are not allowed to join social interactions or daily activities
- They are not allowed to make their own decisions even if mentally they are able to
- Around staff their behavior changes suddenly
No matter what is going on or what situation you and your loved one are in, no one deserves to be abused. Psychological abuse can be hard to see, but that is why a trained professional can help you. It is imperative that you take matters into your own hands and speak to a nursing home lawyer in Maryland from Brown Kiely, LLP for a consultation. You can trust that one of our lawyers will take expect care and do what they can to resolve the issue for you and your loved one.
