As more Americans reach their golden years, elder abuse in nursing homes, in private homes and in hospitals has become more prevalent. Over 500,000 reports of elder abuse were made in the United States each year for the last several years. Many more instances of abuse are likely unreported.
With advances in technology, families, friends and loved ones of the elderly are taking steps to prevent or catch those who are abusing the elderly.
Signs and symptoms of abuse are revealed in the form of physical abuse, emotional abuse and even sexual abuse. In addition, there is abuse by neglect, abandonment or financial exploitation; all of these are prevalent among the elderly who are unable to fend for themselves.
Recently there was a report of a nursing home victim whose family videotaped the outrageous abuse to the resident by nursing home workers. Posted on YouTube are both reports and video of nursing abuse of the elderly.
In Georgia, two dozen former employees of an Alzheimer’s care facility were charged with 70 counts of cruelty afflicted on Alzheimer’s patients after having been investigated.
An 85-year-old patient at St. Joseph’s at Fleming, a long-term-care home in Peterborough, Ontario, was caught on videotape abusing the elderly patient. In this case, where the family became suspicious of abuse, a hidden camera was planted in the dementia-suffering 85-year-old’s bedroom and captured what amounted to this abuse. The conduct by the nursing home workers was prosecuted as criminal acts.
A Congressional report brought by the Special Investigations Division of the House Government Reform Committee found that 30% of nursing homes in the United States were cited for nearly 9,000 cases of abuse in a two-year period.
The more that families, friends and loved ones of the elderly know about the chance of abuse, the more likely it can be prevented. There are many resources of elder abuse awareness found by simply researching elder abuse. There is even a World Elder Abuse Awareness Day launched by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations.
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling nursing home abuse cases for the elderly and families who have been harmed, injured or died as a result of nursing home abuse for more than 37 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Riverdale, Deerfield, Bolingbrook, Buffalo Grove, Wood Dale, Elmwood Park, Melrose Park, Berwyn, Dolton, Chicago (Hegewisch), Palos Heights, Burr Ridge and Lemont, Ill.
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