If you suspect that nursing home mistreatment is affecting your loved one, there are some classic signs to be on the lookout for. Though everyone is an individual, there are some common features to how people react to being abused. Many of these are very recognizable and should be considered cause for concern. You have to balance some of this with the fact that, in our later years, all of us are prone to becoming senile, demented or otherwise mentally compromised. Abuse, however, leaves marks on the body, in many cases, and these may be the best indicators.

Psychologically, senior abuse tends to cause the same wounds as does the abuse of children or domestic abuse. Look for the following:

• Sudden Depression
• Withdrawal from Social Activities
• Confusion
• Sudden Changes in Personality
• Unmerited Anger
• Hopelessness
• Guilt

Physically, a lot of nursing home negligence and abuse manifests as improperly given or completely skipped treatments. If a condition should be getting better, but isn’t, ask your doctor to take a look and see if something is obviously wrong. Doctors know what to expect out of their treatments and, if they’re not getting the results they do expect, they may be able to track down the cause very quickly.

In Dallas, elder abuse cases of contractures caused in nursing homes has become all too common. “Contracture” refers to a medical condition where the legs, feet, arms and hands become stiff and slowly pull toward the body because of the fixed position of the joints. Uncontrolled muscle movement is the most common problem that may result in this condition. Older patients are more likely to suffer from it. You can realize the severity of this condition with the very fact that its treatment requires the patients to go through an aggressive orthopedic surgical procedure. There is typically no other alternative.

While nursing home abuse is common in today’s society, one hardly expects to encounter such graphic images as reported at Cathedral Rock in Fort Worth, TX. The Star Telegram reported on the story and stated that the U.S. Attorney found the nursing home staff responsible for gross nursing home negligence, considering that “it did not bathe, adequately, feed or provide toileting for people.”

Additionally, the staff of this Fort Worth nursing home left the wounds of some of its residents untreated for so long that maggot infestation began. Some of the residents required amputations of their infected body parts because of the abuse of these nursing homes. Along with a neglect of nursing home claim, the U.S. Attorney also discovered that the nursing home cheated the federal Medicare program.

The government has already filed criminal and civil penalties against the nursing home for abuse of the elderly and will receive $1.6 million dollars in settlement. The Star Telegram also reported that company owner C. Kent Harrington, of Fort Worth, entered into a criminal deferred prosecution agreement for a two-year period. Slaps on the wrist not withstanding, the nursing home will still continue to receive healthcare payments from taxpayers.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that though Utah’s lawmakers have voted against health reform for the most part, they seem to have no problem with some parts of the legislation. One of the most important issues in this new bill being passed around includes federally mandated changes for nursing home requirements.