Nursing Home Abuse
Nursing home abuse is the mistreatment of seniors in places designed to keep them safe. Abuse takes many forms, all of which can ruin a senior’s health or kill them. Sadly, nursing home abuse is common, especially in facilities that lack qualified staff. Nursing home abuse can be prevented by knowing its signs and reporting them. Nursing home abuse takes many forms. Seniors in nursing homes can be physically, emotionally, financially, or sexually abused in a place meant to take care of them. They can also be neglected for days, weeks or months. Many people can abuse seniors in nursing homes, including staff, fellow residents or visiting relatives.
This module reviews the basics of documentation in elder mistreatment cases. Medical record documentation in suspected and known mistreatment cases is an essential skill for nurses. Documentation creates a record of observations made by nurses at the time of the event, preserves the patient’s account of the incident and documents interventions provided by health professionals. When elder mistreatment is reported to law enforcement, adult protective services (APS) or other agencies, the patient’s medical record and any related evidentiary reports may become part of the legal record and used in court proceedings. When used in a legal case, prosecutors, plaintiff or defense attorneys and other health experts may scrutinize the record.
