What is the difference between abuse and neglect?

Nobody likes to think about somebody hurting their loved ones, but it is important to be aware that both nursing home abuse and neglect are realities for many elderly Americans. It is important that you take responsibility and ensure that you monitor for your loved one’s well-being.

Nursing home abuse and neglect are very sensitive topics. However, there is a difference between abuse and neglect and using correct terminology is a must. According to Senior Caring, abuse is an intentional action that causes harm while neglect is a lack of action resulting in harm.

What is elder abuse?

There are many different forms of elder abuse, and they are similar to the types of abuse that people of any age may suffer. For instance, some elders in nursing homes suffer from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.

However, a type of abuse that is more unique to the elderly is financial abuse. In some cases, staff at nursing homes may coerce a patient into providing access or use covert measures to obtain access to a patient’s assets. Healthcare fraud is also a problem that many seniors experience. A common form of this is a doctor or other care provider billing for services that they do not provide.

What is elder neglect?

Neglect is less intentional but just as problematic. For instance, some nursing homes may have an inadequate number of staff. If this happens, then patients may not receive the care they need. In this instance, this is not because staff are actively seeking to harm patients, but that there are simply not enough of them to provide adequate care.Nursing Home Abuse And Neglect