What to Watch For and What to Do If You Suspect a Loved One Is Being Harmed
You trusted the nursing home to provide care, dignity, and safety. But now you’re noticing things that don’t sit right. Maybe it’s a bruise no one can explain. Maybe it’s a sudden change in your loved one’s behavior—fearful, withdrawn, or confused. Or maybe the staff’s explanations just don’t add up. These aren’t just red flags—they could be signs of elder abuse.
Abuse in nursing homes isn’t always loud or obvious. Sometimes it hides behind closed doors, staffing shortages, or medical excuses. It can involve physical harm, emotional trauma, sexual assault, or neglect—and it’s more common than many families realize. If you suspect something is wrong, you don’t have to wait for proof. You can take steps now to protect your loved one.
At the Law Office of Andrew A. Ballerini, we help New Jersey families respond to nursing home abuse with urgency, clarity, and legal strength. We know how hard it is to act when you’re unsure, afraid, or grieving. This guide will walk you through what to look for, how to respond, and when to get legal help. Because no one should suffer in silence behind nursing home walls—and no family should face this alone.
Key Takeaways
- Nursing home elder abuse includes physical harm, emotional mistreatment, sexual abuse, and neglect.
- Common signs include unexplained injuries, behavioral changes, bedsores, and poor hygiene.
- Families should act quickly to ensure safety, document evidence, and report concerns to New Jersey authorities.
- Reporting options include the NJ Department of Health, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and Adult Protective Services.
- Legal support is often needed when abuse results in serious harm, wrongful death, or uncooperative facilities.
What Counts as Elder Abuse in a Nursing Home
Elder abuse in a nursing home happens when someone causes harm, distress, or serious risk to a resident through their actions or failures. This abuse can take many forms—physical, emotional, sexual, financial, or through neglect. While some cases involve direct cruelty, others result from broken systems, such as poor staffing, lack of oversight, or failure to follow basic care protocols.
New Jersey law protects nursing home residents through both civil and criminal statutes. The Adult Protective Services Act and the New Jersey Administrative Code require facilities to meet specific care standards. When a facility ignores those responsibilities and a resident suffers as a result, that situation may legally qualify as elder abuse or neglect.
It’s important to understand the difference between abuse and neglect. Neglect usually refers to what staff fail to do—such as not turning a resident or ignoring a clear sign of infection. Abuse involves more direct harm, like hitting, yelling, overmedicating, or sexual assault. Both involve a breach of the resident’s rights and require intervention.
Even subtle mistreatment—like frequent yelling, isolating residents, or intimidating behavior—can signal deeper problems. Whether the harm comes from an individual caregiver or from a system-wide failure, families have the right to step in and protect their loved one.
Common Signs of Elder Abuse in New Jersey Nursing Homes
Elder abuse in nursing homes often hides in plain sight. The signs may be subtle, especially at first. Families might notice small changes—a bruise that staff can’t explain, a loved one who suddenly stops talking, or a once-engaged resident who now avoids eye contact. These shifts may signal something more serious beneath the surface.
Abuse can take many forms, and so can the warning signs. While some symptoms are physical, others affect a resident’s mood, behavior, or overall well-being. Being aware of these patterns allows families to act before the situation worsens. Below are some of the most common red flags we’ve seen in New Jersey nursing home injury cases.
- Bruises, fractures, or burns without a clear explanation
- Sudden withdrawal, fearfulness, anxiety, or confusion
- Signs of sexual abuse, including unexplained bleeding or frequent infections
- Bedsores and pressure ulcers that worsen or go untreated
- Malnutrition, dehydration, or signs of poor hygiene
- Unexplained weight loss or noticeable personality changes
- Staff dismissing or avoiding questions from family members
These signs don’t always prove abuse, but they should never be ignored. Nursing homes have a duty to monitor residents and communicate openly with families. When explanations feel vague—or injuries keep happening—it’s time to ask more questions and consider taking action.
If you’re unsure what you’re seeing, start keeping notes. Document dates, conversations, and changes in your loved one’s appearance or behavior. Early observation and documentation often make a critical difference when it comes time to build a legal case or report abuse.
What to Do If You Suspect Abuse Is Happening
If you suspect that a loved one is being abused in a nursing home, trust your instincts and act quickly. You don’t need absolute proof to begin asking questions or seeking help. Many abuse cases come to light because a family member noticed something felt off and chose not to ignore it. Your attention could be what prevents further harm.
The first step is to ensure your loved one’s immediate safety. If you believe they’re in danger, ask for a wellness check and consider moving them to another room—or even another facility. If the situation is urgent, call 911 or local law enforcement. In non-emergency cases, request a private meeting with a supervisor or administrator and calmly raise your concerns.
Start documenting everything. Take detailed notes about conversations, physical signs of injury, care lapses, or unusual behavior. Photograph visible injuries like bruises, bedsores, or poor hygiene. Keep records of medications, visit logs, and staffing patterns. These details may become essential if you decide to file a formal complaint or pursue legal action.
You should also notify the appropriate authorities. In New Jersey, you can report suspected nursing home abuse to the Department of Health or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. These agencies investigate abuse allegations and conduct facility inspections. Be ready to provide names, dates, descriptions, and any supporting documentation you’ve gathered.
Finally, consider speaking with a lawyer—especially if the abuse resulted in injury, trauma, or death. At the Law Office of Andrew A. Ballerini, we help families take action when facilities fail to protect their residents. If staff members seem evasive or uncooperative, or if you’ve already filed a report but nothing has changed, legal involvement may be necessary to protect your loved one’s rights.
How to Report Elder Abuse in New Jersey
Reporting elder abuse in a nursing home can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. New Jersey offers several official channels for filing complaints against long-term care facilities, and the process is designed to protect both residents and the person reporting the concern. Timely reporting can stop the abuse and trigger an investigation into broader facility failures.
If you believe abuse or neglect is occurring, you can file a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Health, which licenses and regulates nursing homes statewide. Reports can be submitted online, by phone, or by mail. Provide as much detail as possible—names, dates, observations, and any documentation or photographs you’ve collected.
You can also contact the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, an independent agency that advocates for residents of nursing facilities. The ombudsman can help mediate complaints, investigate conditions, and ensure that the facility addresses your concerns.
In some cases, it may also be appropriate to file a report with your county’s Adult Protective Services (APS) office—particularly if the abuse occurred outside of a licensed facility or involves a private caregiver. APS teams investigate allegations involving vulnerable adults and work to ensure their safety and well-being.
While these state agencies play a critical role, legal action may still be necessary—especially when injuries are severe or the facility has a history of violations. If you’re unsure whether the situation requires legal help, you can contact us for guidance. Our legal team can help you understand your options and support you through each step of the process.
When to Contact an Attorney
Not every concern requires immediate legal action—but many cases of nursing home elder abuse do. If your loved one has suffered serious harm, experienced repeated injuries, or passed away under suspicious circumstances, it’s time to speak with an attorney. Legal guidance can help you uncover the truth, protect other residents, and hold the facility accountable.
You should also consider legal support if the facility has ignored your complaints, refused to provide medical records, or given conflicting explanations for your loved one’s condition. In some cases, families report issues through official channels, but no meaningful changes occur. That’s when legal pressure becomes necessary.
Our team has handled cases where nursing homes failed to prevent fatal infections, concealed physical abuse, or allowed severe bedsores to go untreated. In many of those situations, the families sensed something was wrong—but didn’t have access to the records or answers they deserved.
An experienced attorney can request documents, interview witnesses, consult medical experts, and determine whether the facility breached its legal duty of care. If the case involves a death, we can also help families explore a wrongful death claim and pursue full accountability for the harm caused.
To learn more about our experience and results, visit our case results or read about our team on the attorney profiles page. If you’re ready to talk, you can contact us for a free, confidential consultation.
Your Loved One Deserves Better — You’re Not Alone
When a nursing home fails to protect its residents, the consequences go far beyond physical injuries. Abuse and neglect steal a person’s dignity, safety, and trust. Families often carry guilt or confusion—wondering if they missed something, waited too long, or should have done more. If you’re feeling that way now, please know this: you are not alone, and it is not too late to act.
At the Law Office of Andrew A. Ballerini, we stand with families across New Jersey who are speaking up against nursing home elder abuse. Whether your loved one suffered in Cherry Hill, Camden, or another part of South Jersey, our team is here to listen, investigate, and pursue accountability. Our trial attorney Richard J. Talbot brings decades of experience in elder care litigation and a relentless focus on protecting the vulnerable.
If you’re ready to take the next step—or even if you’re still unsure—we invite you to contact us for a free, confidential consultation. We’ll help you understand your options, gather evidence, and hold the facility responsible for what happened. Because no one should suffer in silence—and no family should face this fight alone.