The World Health Organization estimates that 1 in 6 elders have experienced some kind of abuse in the last year. This makes it crucial to explore possible causes and what can be done to mitigate instances of abuse and neglect in long-term care settings.
Below, we look at the different dynamics and contributing factors behind cases of nursing home abuse and what families can do in response when their loved one is a victim.
Top Reasons Caregivers Commit Elder Abuse
Understanding the “why” behind elder abuse is the first step to developing cohesive strategies to reduce abuse and neglect in nursing homes. Here are just a few of the most common reasons caregivers abuse commit patient abuse:
Ignorance of the Aging Process
Aging is complex and involves a lot of changing needs. Many people – even trained caregivers – don’t fully understand what happens during the process of aging or how they can best help someone who is going through it. This often results in the mishandling of patients and neglect for their needs, usually unknowingly and without malice on the caregiver’s part.
Nursing homes are responsible for ensuring that the staff they employ are knowledgeable and understand the unique needs of aging people. If a facility fails to properly train employees who then go on to cause harm to a patient, it may be possible to file a claim against the facility.
Learned Behaviors
Cycles of abuse are often generational and many abusive caregivers learned violent tendencies from their own parents or other people who showed violence against them as children. The level of awareness these individuals have varies and they may or may not fully understand that what they are engaging in is patient abuse.
Identifying employees who may have learned behaviors of abuse or who may be at risk of committing an act of abuse plays an important role in helping to keep patients safe. Thorough background checks are necessary, especially for nurses and other caregivers who are transferring from another facility or area.
Desire for Control
Some people either consciously or subconsciously enter the field with the goal of having control over others who are weaker than they are. Medical staffing across the board tends to have a hierarchy, with doctors at the top, nurses and other support staff in the middle, and patients at the bottom.
This can be more pronounced in long-term care settings, where patients are more vulnerable and there is less direct doctor-on-patient supervision than in hospitals and other medical facilities. Sadly, caregivers who want to cause harm are often attracted to these positions.
Drug or Alcohol Addiction
Caregivers who struggle with a drug or alcohol addiction of their own may be unable to make sound decisions when it comes to the health and wellbeing of other people. In home settings, this can look like family members coping with a loved one’s disease by self-medicating, unaware of the real harm they are causing.
In facilities, nurses and support staff experiencing addiction may have a short fuse and snap easily when taking care of their patients. Other staff may cover for them by minimizing the issue or may not report incidents of abuse or neglect they witness other employees commit.
External Stressors and Mental Illness
Like addiction, extreme stress and mental illness can put a caregiver in a position where abuse occurs. Nursing home staff are often stretched thin by for-profit organizations out to make money and many of them suffer from anxiety, depression, and more serious conditions like PTSD. When combined, this is a recipe for disaster that often results in harm to the patient before anyone else.
Nursing homes should regularly screen employees for stress factors and put supports in place that make it easier for staff members to cope with on and off-the-job stressors. Workplace cultures should value employee wellbeing – in fact, patients who are treated in negative work environments have a measurable 22% decrease in survival odds, according to the American Journal of Nursing.
How to Respond to Elder Abuse and Nursing Home Neglect
If you suspect your loved one has been neglected or abused in a nursing home, it’s imperative to take action right away to protect your family member’s safety and legal rights. You don’t have to go it alone – the experienced nursing home abuse attorneys at Mazow | McCullough, PC are here to help.
Contact us today to schedule your free initial consultation by calling (978) 744-8000 or toll free at (855) 693-9084. We will meet with you to go over the evidence in your case and discuss possible legal strategies to hold the nursing home that hurt your family member accountable for their actions.
