Nursing home abuse comes in different forms: physical abuse and mental abuse (often related to financial manipulation). Physical abuse unfortunately occurs quite often in nursing home facilities. It is therefore important to consistently inspect your loved one for signs of injury during your visits to the nursing home. Many of these injuries will go undetected for weeks or months since they are often in hidden locations or excused as slip and fall injuries. Signs of physical abuse to be on the lookout for include:

• Unexplained bruises or cuts
• Broken bones
• Withdrawn demeanor or attitude
• Change in personality
• Signs of neglect
• Improper medication dosage
• Malnourishment or dehydration

The elderly may also experience emotional or financial abuse including intimidation and other forms of manipulation regarding wills and finances. If you notice your loved one taking out large amounts of money, opening new credit cards, or changing provisions in their will to provide a bequest to nursing home staff, it is important to investigate this immediately. Many times, your loved one will be unaware that they are being manipulated at all. It is therefore important to put an end to this early on before it becomes a larger issue, since skilled nursing home manipulators will often try to turn your loved one against you.