Elder abuse can take many forms – ranging from falls and bed sores from neglect to physical assault. A survey by The National Center on Elder Abuse revealed that elders who experience abuse had a 300% higher risk of death than those who had not been abused. [1] Now, after World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Thousands of Elderly Loved Ones Are Rushing to Seek Justice & Compensation For Victims.

Breaking the Silence: Shedding Light on Elder Abuse

June 15, marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.

In the US alone, about 1 in 10 people over the age of 60 have experienced some form of elder abuse. [2]

To prevent this from happening, last Thursday a group of local advocates conducted a controversial interview with a News Channel 3 reporter. This is what they said:

“It's really important that we keep an eye out, that we check in on our loved ones and make sure that they're not being victimized. This is an abuse that's very much underreported in our country,”
said Maria Loera, Regional Manager with Adult Protective Services in Riverside County. [3]

She says it's about bringing awareness to this growing problem every day.

Loera mentioned that they receive about 4,000 complaints a month, related to elder abuse. The most common forms of elder abuse are:

  • Falls: Nursing home staff is required to monitor residents at all times. Additionally, depending on the resident, nursing home staff may be required to help the person in and out of bed or while walking around the premises. If they do so negligently or fail to help them at all, the resident can fall and sustain serious injuries as a result.
  • Bedsores: Bedsores, also known as pressure ulcers, frequently occur when immobile and bedridden nursing home residents aren’t moved or turned in their beds for a significant period of time.
  • Bone Fractures And Breaks: Falls are the leading cause of bone fractures in nursing home residents. It is the staff's responsibility to remain vigilant, assisting them in walking, and ensuring they are monitored at all times

“It's heartbreaking. And every day, you know, there's different things,”
said Mary Jane Leonhardi, Regional Coordinator for Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

Thousands of seniors are abused, neglected, and exploited each year, but very few come forward. They are more vulnerable than most, and at a time in their lives when they should be treated with respect and kindness, they are instead subjected to atrocities that no human being should experience. Grossly underreported or ignored by facilities more interested in profits than providing proper care, nursing home abuse is a growing problem in the United States. [4]

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It’s Time To Speak For Those Who Cannot Speak For Themselves

If an elderly care facility has hurt someone you love, and there was injury, hospitalization, or death due to the abuse, and it happened in 2021 or later, you may be eligible for significant financial compensation.

Types of facilities include:

Nursing Homes - Assisted Living - Home Health Agencies - Hospice Care - Hospitals - Memory Care Facility - Residential Care Facility.

Here are some of the warning signs to look for:

  • Victim becomes upset, withdrawn, agitated, or stops communicating, especially when staff is present.
  • Rapid weight loss, weight gain or symptoms of malnutrition (i.e., mouth sores, bruises easily, dental difficulties, poor wound healing).
  • Unexplained injuries such as cuts, bruises, and welts healing in different stages.
  • Victims shows sudden or unusual behavior changes (such as not wanting to be touched, biting, or rocking).
  • Your loved one is frequently sick, especially if those incidents are not reported to family members.

The time to act is now.

Nursing homes receiving Medicaid or Medicare funds must comply with federal regulations. According to CFR 483.13, all residents have “the right to be free from verbal, sexual, physical, and mental abuse, corporal punishment, and involuntary seclusion.” [5]

Time is critical in these matters.

Filing a claim on time will not only hold abusers accountable for their actions, but also reduce funds to those facilities not adhering to federal standard of care guidelines.

By pursuing legal action, you can help prevent the same thing from happening to another family.

It's a vulnerable community that often gets taken advantage of. These facilities decided to turn their backs on those who they were supposed to protect to increase their profits, and if evidence finds them guilty, they have to pay.

Don’t miss your window of opportunity…

Families nationwide, with abused or neglected loved ones, have begun to file lawsuits against these elderly care facilities. Although compensation can't undo the damage, it eases the financial burden and holds negligent facilities accountable. Victims are represented by a lawyer who has recovered thousands for similar cases. Clients pay nothing unless the law firm wins.

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