Abuse Prevention: Direct Care Staff

Per CMS, abuse is the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain or mental anguish. Abuse also includes the deprivation by an individual, including a caretaker, of goods or services that are necessary to attain or maintain physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being. Instances of abuse of all residents, irrespective of any mental or physical condition, cause physical harm, pain or mental anguish. It includes verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and mental abuse including abuse facilitated or enabled >span class="NormalTextRun SCXW84444587 BCX0"> technology. Willful, as used in this definition of abuse, means the individual must have acted deliberately, not that the individual must have intended to inflict injury or harm. This 30 minute presentation was developed to assist caregivers in focusing on each resident’s right to be free of abuse and neglect.

Objectives: 

• Define what constitutes “abuse” 

• Define three types of abuse 

• Describe steps taken if abuse is suspected