Elder abuse, otherwise know as nursing home abuse, entails some form of damages incurred by an elderly individual, or patient, while under the complete or partial care and supervision of nursing home staff or medical professionals involved in elderly care. Unfortunately, the relevancy of elder abuse stems from the great risk faced by elderly individuals, who may no longer be able to sufficiently care for themselves and rely on the assistance of nursing homes and other assisted living facilities. These patient relationships, in which elderly and vulnerable patients are under the duty of care of a relatively under paid under trained and over worked group of workers, leads to numerous instance of abuse.