What Are the Most Common Types of Elder Abuse That Occur in Nursing Homes?

The most common types of abuse and neglect suffered by nursing home residents are usually the most obvious ones related to a lack of staffing. So, the injuries include what are called pressure ulcers, or decubitus ulcers, or bed sores. Those result from a lack of staff because, in order to prevent those, you need to have enough staff to give the residents of the home what they need. Malnutrition and dehydration are other ones because, again, it takes time and patience to feed some elderly Americans who can’t feed themselves. Falls are another major area, which results in fractures and brain injuries. We have medication errors because there’s not enough people to keep the system in place to see that it works. We see a shocking amount of physical or sexual abuse. But again, no matter what the common scenario is of the injury or death that our client suffered, it’s usually directly related to this nursing home not having sufficient, appropriately trained staff to meet the needs of the residents that they know exist even before the resident gets to the home.