Abuse of the Elderly in Nursing Homes - Research Paper Example

It is hard to identify elderly abuse in nursing homes since old and frail people are prone to various accidents (Bonnie, 34). Residents in nursing homes normally have very poor safety awareness and therefore there many injuries and falls. It is normally hard to know whether their injuries are caused by incidents that cannot be prevented or from negligence and abuse. This paper explores deeply the types of abuse that elderly people go through in nursing homes and what should be done to alleviate this problem.

According to studies, almost one in three nursing homes has had a case of abuse of the residents in US (Waxman, 1). Elderly abuse comes in various forms there are however two main types of abuse, physical and sexual. However, I have classified types of abuse as, financial abuse, sexual, neglect, false imprisonment and actual physical abuse. Financial abuse occurs whereby staff members at nursing homes abuse the residents by stealing their properties. They can also be able to access their bank details and use them to withdraw their money from the bank.

There have been reported cases of this kind of abuse, in some cases staff take residents’ financial resources. Since most elders in nursing homes are sick and frail, the staffs know that their actions cannot be reported unless a relative of the victim realizes and takes action. Sexual abuse for seniors living in nursing homes involves unwanted, inappropriate touching, and sexual activities. Most residents of nursing homes are weak, frail, and therefore vulnerable to sexual abuse. Nursing homes staff members, visitors as well as residents who are sexually active can commit sexual abuse.

Nursing homes can be held accountable for reported sexual abuse in their residence if it is proven that they failed to do a proper background check to an abusive staff. They can also be held accountable if it is proven that they do not supervise their employees adequately. Failures to