More than a million people currently reside in nursing homes across the country, including in Wyoming. By the time people make transitions to such facilities, they often require specialized care and assistance to carry out their daily functions. In fact, many nursing home residents are beyond age 65 and can no longer care for their own medical or physical needs. Nursing home negligence remains problematic in many regions; however, recognizing the signs of abuse is not always easy because not all situations involve physical injury.
Emotional abuse also has devastating effects on many nursing home residents. This type of abuse most often occurs through words, actions or when staff members fail to act to aid a particular resident when they should. If staff members are using inaction to inflict emotional or psychological pain on a resident, the resident may suffer serious negative consequences.
Emotional abusers often threaten physical harm against their victims even if they never follow through with physical violence. They may also shout or use profanity or other verbal threats to intimidate their victims. In addition to trying to control a victim through verbal threats or deprivation of care, emotional abusers often use mockery or degrading comments to inflict harm on nursing home patients.
If a nursing home resident is a victim of emotional abuse, signs may include agitation or mood swings. Also, if a particular resident has always been rather social and active in various events and activities offered at a facility, then suddenly becomes withdrawn, it may definitely be cause for further investigation. Wyoming residents may call elder abuse hotlines for immediate help; concerned family members may also bring nursing home negligence problems to the attention of experienced elder law attorneys.
Source: baltimorepostexaminer.com, “Emotional abuse in nursing homes“, David Jackson, May 7, 2018
