Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
As Baltimore, Maryland nursing home injury attorneys we have recently discussed the topic of elder abuse in a nursing home abuse blog, and the prevalence of abuse in health care facilities and communities across the country, unlawfully causing harm, personal injury, and even death to older and vulnerable adults.
According to the NCEA and the NCCNHR, types of elder abuse include emotional, physical, verbal, sexual, and psychological abuse, as well as neglect, intimidation, abandonment, and exploitation.
• Physical abuse includes inflicting physical pain or injury on an elder, or the threat of inflicting pain. Physical abuse also includes hitting, pinching, slapping, shoving, and force-feeding, along with rough handling during nursing home care and treatment, when being moved, cared for, fed or given medicine. Physical abuse can also result from a nursing home staff member or an outside intruder or visitor.
• Emotional or psychological abuse inflicts mental pain, anguish, or distress on an elderly person or nursing home resident through verbal and non-verbal acts, which includes ridiculing or cursing a resident, threats of punishment or deprivation, rejection or isolation.
• Sexual abuse is non-consensual sexual contact where a resident is tricked, forced, threatened or coerced into performing acts of a sexual nature.
• Neglect is the failure to provide elderly adults with basic needs, such as proper health care and medical treatment, shelter, protection or food, which can result in conditions like dehydration, malnourishment, incontinence, pressure sores, incontinence, depression and immobilization.
• Exploitation is the deliberate and illegal fraud, theft or misuse of an elder’s funds, assets, property, or belongings without the resident’s consent.
• Abandonment is the desertion of an elder by the person assigned to take responsibility and care of the vulnerable adult, usually a caretaker or nursing home staff.
In Maryland and Washington D.C., our attorneys at Lebowitz and Mzhen fight for the rights of elderly residents to experience a nursing home environment that is free from elderly abuse and negligent acts, that promotes the resident’s health and safety and improves their quality of life. Contact us today for a free consultation about your rights.
Abuse & Neglect Consumer Fact Sheet, The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, NCCNHR
What is Abuse: Why Should I Care About Elder Abuse?, National Center on Elder Abuse, NCEA
What is Elder Abuse?, Department of Health & Human Services: Administration on Aging
Related Web Resources:
Frequently Asked Questions, National Center on Elder Abuse, NCEA
Honoring the Global Effort to End Elder Abuse, The White House Administration Press Release: Council on Women and Girls, June 15, 2010
International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Related Blog Posts:
Children of Hollywood Actor Gene Barry Sue Nursing Home for Elder Abuse and Negligence, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, December 15, 2010
White House Honors Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, June 17, 2010
Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, October 12, 2009