It can be a very sad time in our lives when we have to put our elderly parent or parents into a nursing home. For many people, this is supposed to provide them with peace of mind to know that their loved one is in the hands of trained, compassionate professionals who will be there to give love, care and attention to a loved one as needed. It is challenging in and of itself to turn around and leave a loved one in a nursing home, but how devastating it is to witness firsthand that your loved one or another elderly resident is being abused while in the nursing home.
If you witness abusive acts against your loved one or any other resident there are a few important steps you must take. To begin with, make certain to document all that you have seen occur, for each incident you have witnessed. Be certain to include as many details as you possibly can and write down the actions and incidents as specifically as possible. Include patient names, their room numbers, what acts of abuse or neglect you witnessed and the dates and times of the actual incidents.
Next, you want to be certain to get and write down all the names of staff members that were on duty at the time on the floor where the abuse or neglect took place and the names of their managers, supervisors and administrators as well. These individuals will be very important to your case, whether or not they were involved in the actual neglect or abuse. If the abuse occurred to someone other than your own loved one, try to reach out to a family member or friend of the abused elder and advise them of what you saw and any details you can provide to them.
Additionally, if it is not your loved one that has been violated, it would be a good thing to reach out to the resident that has been abused and make conversation with them inquiring if there is anything that they might need in your efforts to obtain additional information about the neglect or abuse and perhaps even find out how long it has been going on. Anything you can find out from the resident will obviously be helpful to their family members when they give attention to the matter.
Finally, one last important step you should take is to make a phone call to the appropriate state organization to report the alleged abuse and neglect so that a thorough professional investigation can then be performed. Engaging in this communication is essential to your own family member’s health and safety or the health and safety of any other resident you witnessed being abused or neglected.
Regardless of the results of the investigation, it is important that you notify the state of your concerns. Make your 'in good faith’ report as soon as possible. Even if you feel a bit unsure or uncomfortable about filing the report, do not hesitate to make your report since you may very well play an important part in putting a stop to the abuse and make certain that no further abuse will take place.
Whether the abuse you witnessed was to your own family member or to another resident, know how important it is that you report your findings in your efforts to help keep all nursing home residents safe and healthy and certainly free of neglect and abuse. Elderly people are in need and your dedicated acts of concern can certainly help make their innocent elder lives safer, healthier and happier.
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