There is nothing worse than the thought of a loved one becoming the victim of nursing home abuse. Unfortunately, there are nursing home workers out there who continually break the law, often at the expense of the health and well being of elderly residents.

There is more than one form of nursing home abuse. The most common types include:

• Physical abuse, perpetrated by the staff or another resident
• Emotional abuse, including things such as harassment and isolation
• Sexual abuse, perpetrated by the staff or another resident
• Neglect, which can lead to bed sores, malnutrition and falls

While you hope none of these things ever come into play with a loved one in a nursing home, you need to realize that bad situations occur every now and again. So, you can't afford to turn a blind eye and hope for the best.

Know what to look for

One of the best things you can do is stay in constant communication with your loved one and the staff.

With this approach, you'll have an easier time pinpointing if something is wrong. For example, if your loved one is no longer acting the same, there could be a reason for this. You need to get to the bottom of it by asking him or her questions, as well as consulting with the staff.

Also, it's important to take every warning sign into consideration. Just because your loved one has a bruise does not necessarily mean he or she has been the victim of abuse. However, there's a chance this could be the case, and you don't want to leave any stone unturned.

If you come to the conclusion that your loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse, you need to take immediate action. This starts with moving him or her from the facility. From there, talk to the staff about what went wrong and then learn more about your legal rights. You don't want to remove your loved one from the situation and then let things go. This could lead to the same type of trouble for another resident.