Elder Neglect: Symptoms and Definition

Elder Neglect Comprises Almost Half of Elder Abuse Cases

Elder neglect is the failure to fulfill obligations to a senior citizen. According to one report, it accounts for 49% of elder abuse cases (Protecting the Older Adult, Nursing, July 2000). Neglect occurs when a caregiver does not provide adequate food, water, clothing, shelter, medicine, personal safety, or other essentials. Ignoring personal hygiene requirements is also neglect. Examples include not helping a disabled nursing home resident get to a bathroom or to bathe. Other examples of neglect include ignoring an elderly person’s special diet or not calling his or her physician when necessary.

Bedsores (also called pressure sores or decubitus ulcers) may be a sign that a nursing home resident is being neglected in many ways. (Litigating the Pressure Sore Case, Lesley Clement, Forum Vol. 30 (6), August 2000). Preventing bedsores requires time, effort, and adequate staffing. A bedridden patient must be repositioned every two hours to relieve pressure (more often if confined to a wheelchair). After any incontinent episode, urine and feces must be cleaned up almost immediately and the patient should be washed to prevent skin burn. Proper nutrition is also necessary to prevent skin breakdown (Bedsores, Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine). If any one of these procedures is overlooked, the likelihood that a patient will develop bedsores increases. Although an early bedsore is a reversible reddening of the skin, it can rapidly lead to destruction of tissue if left untreated.

Dehydration and malnutrition are other indications of neglect in nursing homes. Be suspicious if your elderly relative has any extreme weight loss. Is your relative receiving nutritious food? Is he or she being helped with eating if necessary? Also investigate further if your elderly relative has restricted mobility, but there is no water pitcher and glass by the bedside. This is a signal that basic requests are being ignored.

There are yet other indications of neglect. Some of these include:

• untreated health problems;
• unsafe or unsanitary living conditions (e.g. vermin, soiled bedding);
• an elder’s report of neglect;
• allowing an Alzheimer’s patient to wander outside the facility unsupervised.

In all cases, the important point is not whether the neglect was intentional, but whether your loved one’s health or safety has been compromised.

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