Elderly
Abuse Lawyer Services
Nursing
Home Abuse
As
the population of the United States ages, the demands
placed on the medical system to care for the elderly
are becoming overwhelming. There are approximately thirty-four
million people over the age of 65. Nearly one in twenty
will require some form of assisted living. Unfortunately,
our senior citizens are becoming victims of intentional
abuse and neglect within nursing homes and assisted
living facilities. While it is difficult enough to place
a family member in a home, it is even more difficult
to see that family member suffer under the care of an
abusive, overburdened, and under trained nursing home
staff.
The National Center for Elder Abuse and numerous nursing
home abuse articles report that neglect of our senior
citizens' basic needs is the number one type of elder
abuse. Physical abuse by caregivers ranks as the second
most common form of elder mistreatment. Almost one million
senior citizens are victimized each year.
When abuse or neglect occurs in nursing homes and other
assisted living facilities, it is often referred to
as "institutional abuse." Institutional abuse
can come in many forms, including physical, sexual,
and emotional abuse. Physical abuse can be caused by
hitting, unreasonably restraining, inappropriately
drugging, refusing to transport, burning, and almost
any other type of abusive physical contact imaginable.
General neglect of seniors is the most prevalent type
of abuse. Neglect is the result of a lack of interest
in the well being of the senior citizen. While physical,
sexual, and mental abuse are the result of intentional
and purposeful acts of the staff, neglect may occur
when a caregiver simply does not care. Caregivers neglect
their duty when they fail to provide some necessary
element for the resident's survival. Such neglect can
include anything from failing to provide food &
water to not paying the heating bill.
Neglect often leads to health disorders such as dehydration
and malnutrition, both of which can be fatal if left
untreated. Elopement, when a resident successfully leaves
a nursing home unsupervised, and wandering, when a resident
moves aimlessly inside a care facility without supervision,
often occur because of neglect.
Unbelievably, sexual abuse of the elderly is not unheard
of in assisted living settings. The abuse can be at
the hands of other residents or the staff. Some typical
types of sexual abuse include sexual battery (including
vaginal and anal intercourse without consent), forced
nudity, and inappropriate photography.
Mental abuse of the elderly, while perhaps not as visible
as physical abuse, can be just as, if not more so debilitating.
One must be vigilant to uncover mental abuse, as the
consequences of such abuse may not be immediately apparent.
Mental abuse includes, but is not limited to, verbally
harassing or intimidating the resident, intentionally
not speaking to the resident, and isolating the resident
from friends and family.
Nursing
Home Abuse Overview
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