Elder Law

When the Caretaker becomes the Abuser

By Levin & Perconti

Every year as many as 10% of older adults are reportedly abused by a family member. Of course these numbers do not reflect the actual number of reported elder abuse cases, because oftentimes elder abuse goes unreported. The elderly are a particularly vulnerable population for a number of reasons and they oftentimes rely on professional caretakers or family members to help them through their daily routines. Along with physical and emotional abuse, the elderly are susceptible to many types of elderly abuse that could lead to drastic circumstances. One typical type of abuse is financial exploitation. Family members oftentimes ask for power of attorney in order to financially exploit family members. Also elderly neglect often times leads to the humiliation of elderly residents. One cruel example of this is when caretakers wait until the elderly person has already soiled themselves to help them to the toilet. In order to help contact one of the many agencies those specializes in elder abuse or contact your congressman about pending nursing home legislation. To read more about elder abuse, please click the link.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on August 22, 2009 (boomark / email).