Types of Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect & What You Can Do About It

Legally Reviewed by Attorney Simon Wiseman on September 23, 2026

10 Types of Elder Abuse & Neglect

Research suggests that one in three elderly persons have been the victims of nursing home abuse in their lifetime, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), two in three staff at nursing homes and long-term care facilities reported committing an act of abuse within the past year, with the highest rates of elder abuse and neglect found in long-term care and nursing home facilities.

Elder abuse isn’t always obvious. Some types, such as psychological abuse, can be harder to recognize. Here are ten types of abuse and neglect to watch for if your loved one is in an elder care facility.

1. Physical Abuse

Nursing home staff can sometimes knowingly and intentionally harm residents by kicking, hitting, or strapping or tying them to beds and chairs. While any nursing home resident can be a victim of physical abuse, those at greater risk include residents with cognitive disorders or Alzheimer’s disease. Physical elder abuse is especially dangerous because it can result in serious injury or death.

2. Abandonment

If an elderly person is left to fend for themselves and removed from a facility or their home without a plan for their continued care, that is considered elder abandonment. This form of abandonment has become more common as some facilities have removed residents to reduce capacity, without adequate transition planning for the resident.

3. Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse can be verbal or psychological abuse that occurs when nursing home staff or professionals:

• Insult residents’ appearance, intellect, or abilities
• Use threats of violence or harm to control residents
• Control a resident’s actions or visitor list to isolate them

Emotional abuse can have long-lasting effects, as victims may develop depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other mental health conditions. This form of abuse is the most common type of nursing home abuse; in a 2021 survey from WHO, over 32% of long-term care facility staff reported emotionally abusing residents.

4. Financial Exploitation

Staff may try to steal from residents using coercion, lies, or force to gain money or other financial benefit. Residents often need those funds to pay for their own care, which puts victims of this abuse at risk of losing financial independence and housing. People may try to financially exploit residents by:

• Stealing a resident’s cash, credit card, valuables, bank records, or personal information
• Preventing a resident from accessing their own funds
• Misusing a power of attorney to make changes to a resident’s will

5. Neglect of Personal Hygiene

Residents can become sick, or suffer mentally and physically, when nursing home staff fails to help them maintain personal hygiene. This can happen when staff:

• Fail to provide residents with clean clothes as needed
• Fail to check on residents with mobility issues frequently
• Fail to bathe residents or provide hygiene supplies like soap and shampoo
• Fail to change bedding regularly or after it has been soiled

6. Sexual Abuse

Nursing home residents may be the victim of unwanted sexual contact or nonconsensual intercourse. A resident who experiences sexual abuse may suffer a sexually transmitted disease, emotional trauma, bruises, or other physical and mental scars.

7. Self-Neglect

Self-neglect involves an elderly person not taking care of themselves physically or medically. While this typically occurs when an older person lives alone, it can occur in a facility if staff neglects residents and does not perform required duties, which becomes more likely as understaffing issues grow more common.

8. Medical Neglect

Medical neglect occurs when facility staff no longer meets a resident’s healthcare needs, which can lead to serious complications. Staff may commit medical neglect by:

• Under-medicating or over-medicating residents
• Failing to provide proper medical care for existing health problems like diabetes
• Allowing residents with mobility issues to remain immobile, leading to bedsores
• Failing to report signs of illness or concerns to doctors or medical staff

9. Emotional Neglect

Facility staff may prevent residents from interacting with one another or with visitors, which can affect mood and emotional health. Emotional neglect can occur when staff:

• Isolate vulnerable residents
• Fail to move residents with mental or mobility issues, preventing them from making friends
• Fail to provide residents with mobility issues canes or wheelchairs, isolating them further

10. Neglect of Basic Needs

If a facility is understaffed, overtaxed, or poorly managed, residents may not have their basic needs met, and the facility itself may become unsafe. Staff may neglect a resident’s basic needs by:

• Not keeping the thermostat set to a seasonally appropriate temperature
• Failing to give residents an adequate amount of food, water, or resources
• Failing to regularly clean residents’ rooms or common areas

Florida’s Minimum Staffing Requirements

Florida law sets minimum staffing standards for licensed nursing homes specifically because understaffing is closely tied to many of the categories above, from medical neglect to neglect of basic needs. Facilities that consistently fall short of required staffing ratios can face licensing action from the Agency for Health Care Administration in addition to civil liability. Reviewing a facility’s staffing history alongside its state survey results, discussed in our related article on nursing home red flags you shouldn’t ignore, can help families spot a pattern before it leads to serious harm.

How to Recognize Signs of Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect

Often, the elderly or vulnerable person being abused may be unwilling to report or tell anyone about the abuse or neglect, and in some cases they may not even be aware of it. Other people in their lives can recognize the signs so they can act. Warning signs of abuse or neglect can include, but are not limited to:

• Changes in behavior or an unwillingness to speak around nursing home staff
• Changes in the resident’s mood or behavior
• Frequent accidents that require hospitalization
• Injuries such as bedsores, bruises, broken bones, or other severe injuries
• Unexplained changes to an estate plan or bank accounts
• Unsanitary conditions around the facility
• Vomiting, chronic pain, extreme fatigue, or other symptoms of under- or over-medication

Reporting Suspected Elder Abuse or Neglect

Florida law mandates that any suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect of elderly or disabled adults be reported. Unfortunately, many instances of abuse or suspected abuse go unreported. In 2019, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report revealing that 97% of nursing home abuse cases within five states were not reported as legally required.

If you witness or uncover abuse or neglect of any kind, report it to the police, an attorney, or Adult Protective Services (APS). It can feel daunting to make a report, since you may not know if it will put the vulnerable person at further risk, but the resident’s wellbeing is what is at stake. If you call an abuse hotline or the police, you will need to provide the following information:

• The location or address of the nursing home
• The victim’s name, address, age, race, and sex
• The signs of abuse or neglect that prompted your report
• The relationship between the victim and the person allegedly responsible

After a report is made, an investigation is typically launched within 24 hours. Law enforcement will be contacted if the caregiver refuses to cooperate, or if the investigation gives investigators reason to believe abuse or neglect has occurred (see Florida Statutes § 415.104). To determine whether abuse or neglect may be occurring, investigators will:

• Interview people who may have knowledge of the abuse or a relationship with the victim
• Review the information gathered from interviews and observations
• Make a determination about the validity of the reported allegations

Can You Sue a Nursing Home for Negligence in Florida?

Florida Statute § 400.023 allows nursing home residents to file negligence claims against facilities, and families can also file on behalf of a loved one if the neglect contributed to their death. In a claim, you and your attorney will generally need to show that:

• The nursing home facility owed the resident a duty of care.
• The facility breached that duty of care.
• The resident suffered injuries or damages because of that breach.

At The Wiseman Law Firm, we are here to help protect the rights of vulnerable persons, including the elderly. If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse, our attorney is equipped to help you evaluate a potential compensation claim. Schedule a consultation and learn more about our services by completing this online form.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect