Adult Day Care Abuse

Adult Day Care (ADC) is operated as a daily care facility for elder adults who need supervision or assistance with daily routine activities like eating, maintaining personal hygiene, and taking medications. In Texas , any care facility involved in providing care for people 18 years or older, for supervising daily activities or providing protection for these individuals is called an adult day care facility or Adult Activity Center.

While a large number of adult day care programs offer rehabilitative services, including occupational and physical therapies, nutritional counseling, case management services, along with recreational or social activities, they are not legally allowed to provide medical care.  Caregivers or supervisors can drop their elderly loved ones in these adult care facilities for a few hours each day, but unfortunately, adult day care abuse are on the rise in these facilities.

   Common Types Of Adult Day Care Abuse

Almost all of the abuse risks that an elderly resident might have to face in a skilled nursing facility are also present in adult day care. Some elderly patients may be so mentally and physically frail, that they might lack the ability to convey to their loved ones that they are being abused. Therefore, family, friends, or any other caregiver responsible for dropping off the adult at the daycare facility should always be on the lookout for such signs which point to abuse.

           
                        Physical Abuse

Easy to point out, physical abuse is one of the most prominent abuses involved in such cases. You should always look for signs like bruises, marks, cuts, signs of restraints, and any unnecessary spots on the skin, which might be pointing to abuse.

                       

                          Sexual Abuse

Any sort of unwanted or inappropriate gesture can be considered sexual abuse. Bleeding in the private areas, bruises or marks in or around the genital region, or sudden changes in behavior, all of these are symptoms of sexual abuse.

                          Financial Abuse

Patients suffering mental impairments should not be giving expensive gadgets, or huge amounts of hard cash. In a large number of cases, we found out that staff members of an elder daycare facility were asking elderly residents to write checks for them for personal use.

                        Lack of Dignity

Changes in behavior or a negative perspective are all warning signs that an elder might be facing lack of respect due to verbal abuse. If you notice that your elderly relative is fearful or confused if they want to go to the daycare facility, this means you should look into the matter.

       What can I do if me or a love one is being          abused?

IF you suspect that an elderly relative or any elderly or disabled adults Attending an adult daycare facility or a skilled nursing facility is being abused, you should consider calling DADS at 1-800-436-6184 to speak to a intake specialist.

                     
                          In Closing

Abuse should never be tolerated by anyone and remember your safety is primarily and you must be treated with respect and dignity. It is the the Daycare's responsibility to make sure your rights are respected.