Assuming you, as a geriatric physician, contracted by either a teaching hospital or a corporation operating --- --- several nursing homes for profit, are charged with examining residents at one or more nursing homes and one such resident discloses being:

Elder : Elder abuse is a crime. All of us, physicians, nurses, social workers and other staff who work with older individuals and those who do not, are legally and ethically required to report suspected abuse to appropriate authorities. I have attached a link to elder abuse hotlines by state and also a link to a document describing signs of elder abuse.

See below: I'm guessing you're referring to the elder abuse. If you are a provider in the nursing home, you're obligated by law to report suspected and/or reported abuse to the authorities (different states might have different nuances with the law), but you're a mandated reporter. Here's the link to nationwide elder service locaotr http://www.eldercare.gov/Eldercare.NET/Public/Index.aspx