Reports of Physical Abuse Uncover Abuse Employee Behaviors

Your loved one may not get a chance to report physical abuse before you discover it because physical abuse leaves a trail that is more apparent then psychological abuse.  You may notice bruises, cuts, scratches, scrapes, and bite marks on your loved one’s body.  If the abuse is severe enough, your loved one may have also experienced a suspicious injury such as a concussion or a severe fracture.  When you notice these signs of abuse, it is up to you to investigate them by asking nursing home employees how the signs appeared.  Sometimes, the signs of abuse may really be accidental injuries.  If a resident falls in the bathroom, bruising may appear.  Fractures can also appear if someone falls and they hit the floor or furniture around them.  However, abused residents may get repeated injuries that wouldn’t make sense if they only fell once.  Bruising may fade, but it can still leave marks on the skin so your loved one may have a combination of old yellow bruising and new purple or black and blue bruises.  When your loved one needs to report abuse before it is noticed, he or she may tell of being handled roughly or having an employee hit, slap, kick, or punch them.  If your loved one reports this kind of abuse, it is important that you contact a California nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible so you can preserve their rights and help them stop the abuse that is happening to them.