How to Identify Elder Abuse?
Identify Elder Abuse. Many of the cases of nursing home neglect would be preventable with adequate numbers of well-trained staff. It is important to hold nursing homes that fail to properly administrate the facility to maximize the quality of care for the residents, accountable. The goal is to create an opportunity for the facility to analyze the cause of incidents and make affirmative steps towards improvement while ensuring a financial basis for compliance.
Common indications of elder abuse include suddened weight loss, signs of skin breakdown with sores or wounds, frequent falls, episodes of wandering or leaving the facility, medication mistakes, failure to provide care as ordered in the care plan, failure to notice a change in condition and sudden change in cognitive state of health of resident.
How Common is Elder Abuse?
Despite the trend for people who need long term care to get that care in their communities, there will always be a need for nursing homes for those who need or want to be cared for in a facility setting that is capable of providing professional services 24 hours a day. In fact, the demand for nursing home services will likely continue to increase with the aging of the baby-boomer generation. The population of persons over the age of 85 has increased significantly, and population projections by the US Census Bureau anticipate the over age 65 population to increase by 40% between 2010 and 2030. Projections indicate that the percentage of people in need of nursing home care will increase by up to 25% in the coming decades.
According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection. Estimates of the frequency of elder abuse range from 2% to 10% based on various sampling, survey methods, and case definitions. It is estimated that for every one case of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect reported to authorities, about five more go unreported. Nursing homes are at the higher needs end of the spectrum and are often the focus of elder neglect due to the number of residents and the increased complexity of the their care needs.
Identify Elder Abuse – Report Suspected Abuse and Neglect
If you have any questions about elder abuse or neglect contact Attorney Kenneth LaBore, 5001 Chowen Avenue South Minneapolis, MN 55410 KLaBore@MNNursinghomeneglect.com 612-743-9048 or toll free at 1-888-452-6589.
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