Elderly Abuse is a Serious Situation

The abuse of the elderly is a growing epidemic throughout the United States, and will only worsen as the population of elderly citizens rises over the next few decades.

Tens of thousands of senior citizens suffer neglect, physical and emotional abuse at home, in the homes of their relatives and in the nursing home and elder care facilities designed to responsibly care for them. Older Americans are financially exploited, abandoned and even sexually abused while their neighbors, friends and family members are oblivious to their pain.

This problem is growing even more serious: recent statistics show that the problem of abuse of the elderly is on the rise within the most prestigious and respectable nursing home facilities and amongst the staff of home healthcare agencies of excellent repute. Sadly, most elder abuse is partially caused by the unique vulnerability and disability that the older members of our society experience, in combination with our youth-oriented culture, which ignores and reviles old age.

Recognizing Elderly Abuse

The first step toward reversing the increasing trend of elderly abuse is to learn the signs and signals of different forms of mistreatment. An elderly abuse lawyer will recommend that the family and friends of the elderly be on the lookout for inexplicable changes in their older loved one's behavior or personality. Withdrawing from regular activities, a switch from alertness to inattentiveness or inappropriate depression can signal emotional abuse, whereas a higher incidence of injuries such as broken bones, burns, bruises, pressure marks or scrapes can indicate physical mistreatment, neglect or abuse.

Elderly abuse injury attorneys also recommend looking out for signs of financial exploitation, such as sudden changes in the financial status of the older individual in question or more obvious signals like identity theft or signature forgery. Scam artists also often target the elderly with fraudulent charities, investments or prizes that cost money to collect.

More difficult to recognize but very damaging is a form of abuse carried out by unethical medical or other types of healthcare providers called "healthcare fraud". Healthcare fraud can include: over- or under-medicating, double-billing or overcharging for services, charging for healthcare or medical services that were never provided or receiving compensation for recommending remedies or medications for medical conditions that are fraudulent and ineffective. Kickbacks received from prescription providers may also qualify, although this practice is common throughout the healthcare industry.

Handling Abuse of the Elderly

If you believe that a loved one has been a victim of abuse or neglect as a result of their advanced age then it is crucial that you contact the supervisors, managers or overseers of anyone responsible for their care that you suspect to be abusive and report the situation. It is advisable to contact a nursing home neglect lawyer with experience in handling similar cases of senior abuse especially if the situation involves a large organization such as a hospital or nursing home.

An elderly abuse attorney on your side will not only help you and your loved one through the challenging process of finding the abuse and receiving fair and full compensation but will also help prevent this terrible and serious problem from continuing unabated.