Visiting an aging loved one in a nursing home may become a routine weekend ritual. Seeing someone you love in an environment that provides constant care and supervision puts your mind at ease.
However, what if a weekend visit leaves you feeling uneasy? While you cannot prove any wrongdoing, you feel like something is off. Discover some nursing home abuse warning signs that you should never ignore.
Inexplicable bruising or injuries
You may notice a new bandage on your mother’s arm and remember that she had one on the other arm just last week. Your mother cannot answer any queries about the injury, and any staff member you ask is also unable to identify the cause. When you start seeing inexplicable bruises or injuries, ones staff and management do not seem to know about, it may signal an escalating pattern of abuse or neglect.
A change in mood or personality
Your mother is an outgoing and cheerful person. However, each time you visit, her mood seems to swing, or it is generally lousy for the duration of your visit. A drastic change in personality may warrant some questions to the staff about an event that may have occurred between visits. When a person faces abuse, verbal or physical, he or she may undergo a change in demeanor and mood rather quickly.
Open wounds or sores
Pressure ulcers, or bedsores, occur when someone cannot turn independently and lays in one position too long. The blood starts to pool under the skin in the areas that make contact with the bed and sores begin to erupt. If left unattended for too long, these bedsores may become so deep beneath the skin that they start to infect muscle and bone. If you notice these wounds taking shape, it may mean the staff does not move your mother regularly, if at all.
Getting help for a nursing home issue may mean engaging an attorney for assistance. If management does not give you the answers you seek, you may want to consider moving your loved one.
