The elderly are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, which means if you have a loved one in an Ohio nursing home, you should pay special attention to any sign that your relative is suffering. Unfortunately, some seniors are not always forthcoming about physical pains and aches, which could be the result of inadequate care from caregivers or other forms of mistreatment.
Aging Care points out that some seniors relish talking about their pains in the hopes of garnering sympathy for their condition. However, there are seniors who actually diminish pains or other symptoms of health maladies. Some seniors do not want their children to worry. Some elderly fear going to the doctor and being diagnosed with a disease or other serious ailment. They may not want the bad news, or they may just not want to take more medication.
However, there are seniors who may not wish to discuss pain because it stems from neglect or abuse on the part of a caregiver. Some seniors relish their independence and do not like to ask for help. It might have taken great effort to convince them to enter senior living in the first place. If the caregiver is a family member, the senior may not speak of abuse for fear of causing a serious rift in the family.
Even if a senior does not openly talk about feeling physical pain, it does not mean that signs of abuse or neglect cannot manifest in how the senior acts and behaves. In fact, some seniors experience psychological or emotional problems that could indicate mistreatment is taking place. Abuse at the hand of nursing home staff can make a person too scared to say anything, but it can cause the person to act in unusual and distressing ways.
While it can be hard to get an elderly person to open up about abuse or mistreatment, doing so is important to help end the abuse. It may be necessary to ask other family members or experienced professionals for assistance in getting to the bottom of a senior’s situation. Since nursing home neglect happens in many ways, you should only read this article as general information, not as actionable legal advice.
About the Author: Frank Piscitelli
As a first-generation Italian in the United States, Frank is no stranger to tough times. His father’s family moved to Cleveland from Italy on May 22, 1958, with a few articles of clothing, some personal items and very little money. His family shared a home with three other related families but happily worked long hours doing jobs that involved physical labor, just to put food on the table. There was the promise of hope and opportunity, which was missing before his family moved here.
