It's sometimes difficult to imagine how nursing home and assisted living negligence (or any kind of conduct implicating elder abuse) can happen in the first place. But one tragic story from a Florida hospital this year illustrates the old adage, "If it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone."
97-year-old Rose Strobel lived alone and was proudly self-sufficient. In her long life, she had operated a lathe at a naval ordinance plant during World War II, and was said to be one of the inspirations for "Rosie the Riveter." Family members described her as "feisty" and "whippy."
On May 18, she took an ambulance to Doctors Hospital in Sarasota, complaining of back pain. Once there, she was confined to a "bed enclosure"-a nylon mesh structure that surrounds the bed like a mosquito net, and cannot be opened from the inside. Strobel's son-in-law, who visited her the day she was admitted and found her lying in her own feces, was more blunt, calling it a "bed cage."
After three days of wrangling over who had authority to make decisions on her behalf, her family was able to get her transferred to an assisted living facility. By that time, the normally sharp and independent woman was listless and unable to walk. Two weeks later, she had died.
If this sort of treatment can happen to a woman like Strobel in a hospital full of doctors and nurses, imagine what can happen in a nursing home or other facility, which likely would have fewer, less well-trained and supervised staff. Anyone with an elderly family member currently living in a nursing home or assisted living facility should be aware of the warning signs of mistreatment and abuse, such as:
- Bed sores, also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers
- Bruises
- Broken bones or fractures
- Infections
- Malnutrition or dehydration
- Poor hygiene, such as soiled beds
- Errors in medication
- Signs of depression or anxiety
- Use of unnecessary restraints on the patient
- Denial or delays of visits by staff
- Mention by the patient of certain staff members that he or she dislikes
Often a patient is reluctant to report some forms of abuse, such as mental or sexual abuse, for fear that it may get worse. If you have an elderly loved one, be sure to have regular, open conversations about how he or she is being treated, and be aware of these signs of abuse.
