According to the CDC, there are around 16,000 nursing homes in the United States and that number is surly to rise as our elderly population increases. The Population Reference Bureau expects the number of Americans aged 65 and over to more than double by 2060, increasing from 46 million people today to more than 98 million.
That inevitably means that we will need more and more care facilities to help with the aging population.
One thing we will never stand for is elder abuse, which is a rising concern.
Elder abuse is defined by the CDC as “intentional act or failure to act by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that causes or creates a serious risk of harm to an older adult.”
The elderly are at significant risk of abuse from nursing home professionals because they are often unable to fight back or report the incidents.
Abuse can show up in many forms:
Physical Abuse
The elderly are at higher risk to skin damage and bone injuries. If a nursing home professional jerks or twists a patient, whether out of impatience or with malicious intent, they can cause serious bodily harm. If workers withhold medications, they are also causing a patient harm.
Mental/Emotional Abuse
If a nursing home employee taunts a patient or calls them names, they are emotionally abusing them. Threatening to withhold medications is also emotional abuse.
Financial Abuse
Nursing home professionals have access to patient’s sensitive information and can use that to take advantage of them financially. Often, a patient’s family may have no idea that their loved ones identity has been stolen by a nursing home employee.
If You Suspect Abuse
If you suspect a loved one has been abused in a nursing home, contact police immediately. Keep all medical records and police reports related to the incident. After that, you need a Miami Gardens nursing home abuse attorney to help you. You can contact us by clicking here or calling 305-949-2526 for a free consultation. The Dante Law Firm will fight for your loved one’s rights to ensure that they are fairly compensated for what happened to them. We want to make sure that nobody else has to go through this.
Having to put a loved one in a nursing home can be one of the toughest decisions you have to make. Sometimes, though, their needs are beyond what we are capable of taking care of in our homes. When you make the decision to seek a long-term care facility, we know you make sure your loved one is in good hands.
(954) 365-0000
(954) 365-0000