When people talk about elder abuse, they often talk about it with a tone toward sympathy. They feel bad for those being abused and want to make it right.
It's not that this is the wrong approach, necessarily, but experts suggest that it goes further than that. It's not just about feeling bad about what someone else had to endure. It's about seeking justice. It's about seeking fair treatment for all.
A Department of Veteran Affairs whistleblower whose mother is in a Florida nursing home has firsthand knowledge of elderly abuse in such a facility.
The facility has a five-star rating, but at least one resident suffered the kind of neglect that should never happen.
Nursing home abuse is something that you could never expect in a nursing home. After all, this is a facility designed to protect and care for the elderly, so it doesn't make sense for people to be in danger there.
Sadly, not all nursing homes are up to the task of caring for your elderly loved one. Nursing home neglect and abuse do happen. It's important that you do all you can to identify if a nursing home is right for your loved one or if you'd be better off with another option.
Elder abuse takes many forms. Some abuse is physical, while other instances of abuse are verbal. Traditionally, many people have brushed off verbal abuse as being less important than physical abuse. However, studies of the human brain have shown that they're actually very similar.
One scientist decided to look into it with neuroimaging. They conducted multiple experiments to measure how the brain reacted to these different types of stimulation. By looking at the brain circuitry that was activated during physical pain, the scientists found that it was the same as that which was activated through social exclusion.
When it became clear that your father was dealing with Alzheimer’s disease, you chose a facility near your home for his care.
He has been a resident there for six months. In the beginning, he seemed content and was doing as well as expected. Lately, however, you have noticed changes that point to possible abuse.
Neglect is a kind of mistreatment that elders may struggle with as they grow older and rely more on others. There are several kinds of neglect that could affect an elderly person.
Some kinds of neglect that may impact an elder include:
An assisted living center provides a different type of care than a nursing home. It focuses on giving each resident the exact type of help they need. Often, these are people who are still in relatively good health, but who simply do not feel it is safe or practical to live at home -- perhaps after the death of a spouse.
The goal, then, is to provide the maximum level of independence for each individual. The staff is not there to do everything. They are there to offer supplementary assistance at a simple housing facility, allowing residents to still feel like they can live virtually on their own much of the time.
Elder abuse is something that shouldn't happen, regardless of the situation the elder is in. Whether they're being cared for by an in-home aide or are in a nursing home, they deserve to be respected and to receive appropriate care.
Unfortunately, elder abuse does happen. In fact, it's believed that one out of every 10 people from 60 years old and up have experienced elder abuse, neglect or exploitation.
Florida is known for its great beaches and sunshine. It is no wonder that many seniors decide to retire there. Unfortunately for the aging population, Florida is notorious for elder abuse in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, especially the disaster following Hurricane Irma in 2017 that led to 12 deaths.
You may feel worried about putting your parent into a home. Not everyone will suffer from abuse, but those who meet any of the following conditions will have a much greater risk.
In 1940, there were only about 10 million people in the United States who were 65 years old or older. That was the first time the country had ever hit such a high number.
Today, though, that total seems tiny. In 2010, there were nearly 40 million people in that age group, or four times as many as there were in 1940. In 2019, it has already surpassed 50 million. Projections show that, unless there is a large and unexpected change, there will be more than 80 million people in this age group by 2050. That's not nearly as far away as it sounds. In just over 100 years, the aging population will have increased eightfold.
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