Nursing home sexual abuse is difficult to uncover because the elderly victims of sexual abuse often have medical conditions that impair their memory or perception. Moreover, the victims of this type of sexual abuse will frequently have some sort of condition that makes them unable to express disapproval or lack of consent.
In addition to being tough to detect, the sexual abuse of nursing home residents can cause both physical and psychological injuries. Physical injuries can include bruises, scars, cuts, or even the emergence of sexually transmitted diseases.Psychological injuries can include panic attacks, extreme agitation, and depression.
Unfortunately, criminals see the elderly as easy targets. Elderly individuals are sometimes not as physically or mentally capable of defending themselves from attacks. Moreover, a criminal might believe that an elderly individual in a nursing home would not be a credible voice or competent to testify at a criminal trial. These are some reasons why sexual abuse in the nursing home is such a difficult and complicated issue to address.
There are many physical and mental symptoms caused by the sexual abuse of the elderly. At Russo Law Firm, we have seen the following symptoms when our client’s loved ones were sexually abused in nursing homes:
- Pain, bruising, and skin tearing around the pelvic area and breasts
- Torn or stained clothing
- Physical signs of the victim being restrained
- Fear, anger, and insomnia
- Depression
- Other behavioral changes
Regardless of the symptoms, whether they are physical or mental, your loved one should not be forced to suffer without fair compensation. If you believe your loved one was the victim of sexual abuse while in a nursing home, please call the Tucson nursing home sexual abuse lawyers of Russo Law Firm today at (520) 529-1515, and we will fight for your loved one’s rights.
