If you have loved ones living in a residential care home, it’s crucial you are not too trusting. While most workers do their best for the residents under their care, not everyone is so warm-hearted. Some abuse their position to abuse the vulnerable elders under their charge.
Here are some of the reasons that abuse of all kinds can continue for weeks, months or years:
People might not believe the victim
Your loved one may try to mention the abuse to a manager or someone else, but these people think they are just talking rubbish or making it up and ignore them. They may have heard them tell wild stories about other things that were not true, so assume this is just one more fantasy.
Your loved one might not remember
It might be the case that the abuser manages to continue their actions because their victims do not recall what happened clearly enough or for long enough to tell someone. Maybe they wake up and find their blouse unbuttoned but assume they must have forgotten to fasten it when in fact, the abuser loosened it.
The victim cannot communicate the problem
People can sometimes lose their ability to speak clearly in the later years of their life. Thus they may know what is going on but be unable to get anyone else to understand. Even if they could do so with more time, busy staff may cut them short to attend to someone else.
Managers may not believe the abuser is capable of such acts
Accepting that someone you have worked with for years is capable of harming others can be difficult. Not everyone manages it, and some will blindly defend a person who is indefensible.
If you suspect your loved one is being abused in a nursing home, seek legal help to examine the next steps to take.