Assisted Living

One of the major concerns that may arise when contemplating placing a parent into an assisted living facility is the fear of elder abuse. Under the terms of the Nursing Home Residents’ Bill of Rights, assisted living facility must provide a high level of service for the seniors in their care.

Anyone ensuring seniors’ care must be diligent in monitoring the daily activity of the seniors. If an assisted living facility is unable to explain the injuries of seniors in their care, it may be a sign of abuse. Although falls may occur, if the assisted living facility is unable to explain the falls, or if there appears to be a pattern of falls, it is possible that the care the assisted facility is providing to seniors may not be adequate. An assisted living facility is responsible for watching over the residents, and assisting those unable to move steadily on their own.

Dehydration can be at the source of several instances of inadequate care for seniors. If an nursing home does not make sure that the seniors it cares for are drinking enough, the chance that the seniors develop bedsores, which are also known as pressure ulcers, increases drastically. Seniors receiving insufficient care and hydration may also suffer from a drastic rate of weight loss. If a senior being cared for losing ten percent or more of their weight in a ninety day period, then it is likely the assisted living facility is not providing the senior with enough to drink.

In addition to the medical abuse that may occur to seniors whom require care, they may also be subjected to other forms of abuse. Some of the worse assisted living facilities may employ a variety of restraints to control their residents. These restraints are not limited to physical means. The in the course of their care seniors may be placed into beds with sheets tucked in so tightly that their movement is restricted or the bed rails raised, making it impossible for the seniors to get out, may be made to wear mittens, put in wheelchairs with the safety bars lowered, or even in severe cases subjected to hand cuffs. One of the more subtle forms of abuse that assisted living facilities employ is to over-medicate the seniors in their care, in the interest of making the residents more easily managed.

There may also be emotional abuse in nursing homes. Some of the manifestations of abuse may include increased anxiety, sever depression, crying very easily with no identifiable cause, difficulty in getting along with assisted living facility staff, excessive complaints about the staff, or any other changes in disposition.

Those seeking care for a senior would be well served to investigate any facility under consideration before enrolling a senior in the facility. Be certain to look up the facility’s record with local governmental officials to see if any complaints have been filed or any instances of abuse reported in the past. Also attempt to talk to seniors already being cared for at the assisted living facility. Some assisted living facilities will allow communications with those already living there so that the family can get an unbiased opinion of the location.