As your loved one age and becomes less and less independent, one of the decisions you might consider making is sending them to a nursing home. These facilities have the appropriate facilities and specialists who can accord your loved one the care they need during their sunset years. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is not uncommon.
One of the most common, yet subtle, forms of abuse in nursing homes is emotional or psychological abuse. This form of abuse can be perpetrated by your loved one’s caregiver, volunteer or any other person employed by the facility. If a loved one suffers psychological abuse at the hands of a nursing home staff, you need to take action.
What does emotional abuse in nursing homes look like?
Psychological abuse can be verbal or nonverbal. Here are some of the ways a nursing home staff can emotionally abuse a resident:
- Yelling, insulting and humiliating the resident
- Scapegoating and blaming them on a regular basis
- Isolating them from family and friends
- Menacing or terrorizing them
- Failing to attend to their needs
What are the signs of emotional abuse?
Unlike physical abuse, you need extra vigilance to notice psychological abuse. Sometimes, these signs can be triggered by other situations going on in the victim’s life like an illness, a physical or psychological limitation or adjustments to life in the nursing home – which makes identifying emotional abuse quite challenging.
That being said, here are some of the signs you need to look out for if you suspect that your loved one is being abused at the nursing home:
- They are withdrawn and exhibit low self-esteem
- They seem hopeless or disturbed
- They can’t speak openly for fear of being reprimanded
- They can’t seem to make independent decisions without consulting the caregiver
Nursing home abuse can leave a lasting impact on your loved one’s well-being. If you believe your loved one is facing undergoing psychological abuse, do not sit back and do nothing about it.