Understanding the Types of Nursing Home Abuse

Discovering that your vulnerable elderly relative is suffering abuse in the nursing home can feel devastating and heartbreaking. Knowing the different types of nursing home abuse and how to spot the signs of abuse is crucial for discovering neglect or abuse and getting help for our elderly loved ones quickly. Our nursing home abuse personal injury lawyers can help you seek a financial award from the negligent party. Learn more about how abuse in a nursing home happens and what steps you can take.

How Common Is Nursing Home Abuse?

Unfortunately, nursing home abuse is more prevalent than you might think.  In 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services received more than 7,600 reports of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of nursing home residents in 2023. And not all nursing home residents make reports when they suffer abuse. The World Health Organization reports that two of three nursing home staff members admitted in a 2024 survey that they abused a resident.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse

Many elderly residents rely on the vigilance of their relatives when it comes to detecting abuse and neglect. In some cases, nursing home residents may not be able to tell their loved ones about what has happened because of neurocognitive challenges that occur with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, it is crucial that those who have loved ones in nursing homes know about the various types of nursing home abuse, which can include:

• Physical, which accounted for 38% of all abuse complaints, according to the National Ombudsman Reporting System (NORS)
• Neglect, 24%
• Psychological or emotional, 16%
• Financial, 14%
• Sexual, 8%.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is any form of body contact that causes an injury or trauma to a nursing home resident. Examples of physical abuse can include hitting senior residents, pushing them, slapping them, or any other violent and aggressive acts. Physical abuse is perhaps the most easily detected type of abuse as it typically comes with bruises and injuries, such as fractures, sprains, burns, and signs of restraint.

Emotional Abuse

Prolonged emotional or psychological abuse can negatively affect the mental outlook for a nursing home resident. Emotional abuse can include ignoring, yelling, or humiliating seniors. While verbal and emotional abuse can be challenging to discover, seniors may show a change in personality, such as becoming more fearful or anxious and withdrawing from social activities.

Abuse From Neglect

Nursing home neglect can have devastating consequences for seniors and could even endanger their lives. If a nursing home does not employ enough caregivers, residents who need help with personal care tasks – such as eating, drinking, or bathing – might not receive it. Malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of personal hygiene can lead to a rapid deterioration of the health of an elderly nursing home resident who’s being neglected. Signs of nursing home neglect of a resident can include sudden rapid weight loss, hair loss, bedsores, dehydration, or appearing unwashed and disheveled. Additionally, if your loved one has unexplained infections, these infections could be a sign of nursing home neglect.

Financial Abuse

Financial abuse or exploitation occurs when a caregiver in the nursing home steals money from the senior. This type of crime doesn’t necessarily involve directly taking cash or property from the senior, although it can. Instead, it often involves tricking the senior into providing access to personal bank accounts or credit cards. The American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) estimates victims of elder financial exploitation (EFE) lose about $28 billion annually in all locations, including nursing homes. The administration of a nursing home has a responsibility to protect seniors from this kind of financial abuse at the hands of nursing home employees.

Sexual Abuse

Sexual abuse of the elderly is one of the most egregious and shocking types of mistreatment. It can include forced sexual acts and other behaviors, such as:

• Unwanted nudity and touching
• Taking sexual photographs or videos
• Forcing a senior to watch sexual material.

Signs of sexual abuse can include sexually transmitted diseases, bruising and bleeding in the genital area, or an overall change in behavior of your elderly loved one.

Steps to Take After Discovering Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing home abuse is illegal, immoral, and can be extremely dangerous to a fragile elderly individual. It is important to note that with nursing home abuse, the law is generally on the side of the abuse victims, their families, and those who spot and report the abuse. State and federal laws, including the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987, 42 U.S. Code § 1395i–3, provide protection for vulnerable nursing home residents. Therefore, if your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse, you have the right to pursue legal action and hold the nursing home responsible for injuries and losses.

Contact Law Enforcement and Governmental Agencies

If you suspect nursing home abuse where your loved one is in immediate danger, you can dial 911 for help from the police. You can also report elder abuse to the local adult protective agency in your state and file an official nursing home abuse report.

• In Minnesota, reach out to the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC) at (844) 880-1574 or through its website.
• In Wisconsin, contact the Wisconsin Dept. of Health Services at (800) 642-6552 or by completing an online form.

Nursing Home Legal Liability

Nursing homes are legally responsible to keep their residents safe and free from harm, neglect, and abuse. If your loved one suffered from any type of nursing home abuse, you potentially have the option of holding the facility responsible. You could recover damages such as:

• Medical costs (for both physical and emotional injuries)
• Transportation expenses
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Pain and suffering.

There are several ways in which a nursing home could be negligent, including but not limited to:

• Employing too few caregivers
• Negligently hiring staff without checking their background or qualifications
• Inadequate staff training
• Lacking adequate safety and security protocols.

How We Can Help Prove Negligence in a Nursing Home Abuse Case

To be eligible to file an injury claim against a nursing home for your loved one’s emotional and physical injuries – regardless of the type of nursing home abuse that’s occurring – you must show that negligence occurred. Negligence means that the nursing home administration or staff could have taken a different set of actions to prevent the injuries and abuse from happening.

Negligence often involves careless or reckless behavior. It doesn’t have to involve a purposeful act, although it can. Examples of negligence can include overworked staff members forgetting to give your loved one the proper medication, administration failing to provide adequate training, or staff members failing to report known abuse from other staff members. Abuse and negligence can also involve staff members failing to stop one nursing home resident from bullying, physically assaulting, or sexually assaulting other residents.

Our nursing home injury attorneys in Minnesota and Wisconsin will work tirelessly gather evidence that shows negligence. We can legally force the nursing home to maintain video evidence and written records about the actions of staff members. We won’t let the nursing home stonewall our investigation with red tape.

Call Tyroler Leonard Injury Law for Questions About Filing a Nursing Home Abuse Claim Involving Your Loved One

There can be several types of nursing home abuse. Some can be difficult to detect. However, if you think something is wrong and you notice red flags surrounding your loved one’s care in a nursing home, trust your instinct and demand answers from the nursing home.

Standing up to a nursing home and its legal counsel can be daunting and overwhelming. Holding a facility to account requires proving negligence with conclusive evidence which can be a legally complex endeavor. We understand how powerless and frustrated relatives of injured nursing home residents can feel.

However, you do not have to struggle with this on your own. The experienced Wisconsin and Minnesota nursing home abuse injury attorneys at Tyroler Leonard Law Firm can support you during this difficult and upsetting time. We can analyze your claim and gather the relevant evidence, such as a nursing home’s records and witness statements. We are committed to fighting for the rights of our seniors and helping you recover compensation for your damages.

Call Tyroler Leonard Injury Law today for a free case evaluation at (651) 259-1113.

Attorney Isaac Tyroler

Attorney Isaac Tyroler has been a strong advocate for injured people his entire legal career. He has a passion for righting wrongs, and he deeply cares about representing injured clients who may feel overwhelmed or uncertain about how to navigate the legal system. He is compassionate toward clients and aggressive with insurance companies and defendants. He is on the elected Board of Governors of the Minnesota Association of Justice (MAJ), the top personal injury lawyers’ group in Minnesota. And is currently the chair of MAJ’s legislative committee. [ Attorney Bio ]