California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
What does social media have to do with nursing home abuse and neglect in Fremont or elsewhere in the Bay Area? The two things — social media and nursing home abuse — might not seem like they would have any relation to one another. However, as various types of social media platforms have become increasingly popular among wide-ranging age groups, and forms of psychological and emotional abuse continue to occur in nursing home and assisted-living facility settings, the two things have, unfortunately, coincided.
According to a recent report from McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, more than 10 years after a large-scale investigation addressed nursing home staff members posting humiliating, belittling, and embarrassing photos of residents on social media accounts, this behavior persists. Our Fremont nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers can tell you more about the recent report, and we can help you to seek accountability if this type of unconscionable act has harmed an elderly loved one in your family.
Harms of Psychological and Emotional Abuse
While many people often think about physical abuse or passive neglect when they worry about abuse or neglect in nursing home settings, psychological and emotional abuse is another form that intentional abuse can take, and which can occur somewhat frequently with devastating consequences.
According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), psychological and emotional abuse has psychological and emotional consequences, but it can also have physical consequences. Older adults who are subject to this type of abuse, and especially when they experience humiliating and demeaning treatment, can experience depression that can result in substantial weight loss, greater risk of infection, and even death in some circumstances. It is important to be very clear that the act of a nursing home staff member posting an embarrassing or degrading photo or video of an elderly resident on social media constitutes actionable abuse with very real harm.
Continued Connection Between Social Media and Psychological and Emotional Abuse
The recent report discusses a new investigation that was funded by the Colorado State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which included data from nursing homes in 30 different states between 2017 and 2025. According to researcher Eilon Caspi, the nature of the incidents reported resulted in Caspi being “extremely disturbed by the severity of many of these incidents and the level of harm caused by them to victims.”
As the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News report emphasizes, this issue became national news a decade ago following a major investigative report. However, continued reports occur of emotional and psychological abuse that involve staff members posting nude photos of residents designed to embarrass or demean them, attempts to solicit certain behaviors from residents in order to mock them on video, and related forms of abuse.
Contact a Fremont Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Today for Assistance
Nobody should ever have to experience emotional or psychological abuse that results in humiliation, embarrassment, or shame. Unfortunately, as we discussed above, social media platforms have become a location in which psychological and emotional nursing home abuse can occur in the Bay Area, and often, residents and their families do not even realize until a significant amount of time has passed and substantial psychological harm has been done. If you have any concerns at all about nursing home staff at your elderly loved one’s nursing home, you should seek legal advice from a Fremont nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer as soon as possible. We can help you to hold a nursing home staff member accountable for this type of inexcusable and unlawful act. Contact Nursing Home Law Group today for assistance.
See Related Blog Posts:
How to Report Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect in Sonoma, Marin, and Solano Counties
Are San Francisco Nursing Home Residents in More Pain with Reduction of Opioid Prescriptions?
