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Senior citizens across America are aware that nursing homes will be where they will spend time in later life. More often than not, a nursing home is where the elderly will spend their final years. Those who lived long and hard lives naturally long for a peaceful time in their twilight years.
According to Zippia, there are about 1.4 million elderly people in nursing homes across the 26,514 nursing homes in the U.S.
Unfortunately, many are deprived of this peace. According to World Health Organization (WHO) report, more than half (64.5%) of nursing home employees said they had abused an elderly resident.
Why Do Elderly People Face Abuse in Nursing Homes?
Several factors contribute to the abuse, both physical and emotional, that the elderly face. Like many healthcare facilities, understaffing and lack of training creates an environment where abuse occurs.
With homes running on a limited number of workers, there isn’t a lot of accountability or supervision happening. Combine this with the fact that elderly people are vulnerable and easily taken advantage of; it’s easy to see how abuse happens. In such situations, seeking legal help from free protective order lawyers can provide necessary legal assistance to ensure the safety and rights of the elderly.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are also common conditions during old age. The symptoms of these conditions can also be a little difficult for caretakers with poor training to deal with. The result? There may be physical abuse in the form of aggressive feeding and when assisting them with other daily activities.
Emotionally, there may also be instances where seniors are verbally abused for not understanding what is being communicated.
It isn’t just this sort of direct abuse that is the problem. A significant source of abuse comes in the form of neglect. The elderly resident may not be fed on time, and their medication and other personal needs may also be neglected.
Overall, the situation is often morbid and depressing for seniors who don’t know how to escape the situation or seek help. Their children may live far away and rarely visit. Communication over the phone may often be informally monitored by staff, making it difficult to talk about the abuse.
Taking Action Against Abusive Nursing Homes Is a Collective Responsibility
If you feel that the nursing home your loved one is in is operating in an abusive way, please take action. It is possible that the compensation you receive in court can be enough to take them out of the nursing home and give them a comfortable life in a safer place.
For instance, earlier this year, an Arkansas nursing home was fined $15.7 million over the death of an elderly resident. It is unfortunate that life had to be lost before action was taken.
Interestingly this wasn’t the only time that abuse to a senior occurred in Arkansas. Heritage Park Nursing Center in Rogers, AS, was another institution that was cited for failing to protect their resident from assault.
A Rogers personal injury attorney would have gladly taken up such a case, especially if you have clear evidence of neglect and abuse.
Elderly abuse happened everywhere across the U.S. Just last week; the New York Attorney General called out the abuse happening in four nursing homes. The abuse included residents being ignored when they called caretakers for help. They also lived in unsanitary conditions and were not fed on time.
Such situations warrant immediate legal action. If you are concerned about the expense of taking someone to court, don’t worry. Keith Law Group states that contingency fee payment is a common option that people can avail of in these situations. This means you only have to pay lawyers’ fees if you win the case.
Essentially, there is very little reason for you not to take action against an abusive nursing home. By taking action, you are also saving other seniors who could also be silently facing abuse.
Conclusion
Nursing homes are supposed to be places of peace. It shouldn’t be a place where elders need to fear for their lives.
There will come a time when you are past your prime and become dependent on others.
It doesn’t matter if a caretaker is frustrated with their responsibilities and workload. There is simply no valid excuse for treating a senior citizen harshly. It is a form of human rights violation to abuse the weak and vulnerable.
By taking action against abusers, we set the standard and make it clear that you don’t escape the consequences of elderly abuse. Of course, not all caretakers in nursing homes are bad. There are many caretakers who make life peaceful and joyful for the elderly.
