The baby boomers are retiring, and advances in medicine are keeping people alive longer than ever before. New vaccines and breakthrough medicines will continue to develop, increasing the number of elderly Americans. An increase in the number of older Americans will likely lead to the need for more caretakers and nursing homes, which could increase the risk of New Jersey nursing home abuse in different forms.
As the population ages, elderly people are many times in need of assistance for routine tasks, leaving them to seek out care from nursing homes or live with family members. Many of them eventually suffer from degenerative diseases that leave them especially vulnerable to nursing home abuse or neglect. Sometimes people who are being cared for unknowingly sign over financial power to their caretakers, among other types of abuse.
Because elderly people don’t always have the capacity to notice or remember what is happening to them, they may be subject to financial, emotional and physical abuse, leaving them unable to remember the incidents or unable to explain what happened to them.
There are a growing number of cases of elder abuse in our country and it is important that family members and friends of those being cared for by professionals and family members understand what abuse entails and how to recognize it. Often family and friends of elderly people will be their best line of defense in preventing and stopping abuse. Sometimes preventative actions aren’t enough to stop abuse, so it is important to understand your rights as a loved one of an elderly American and what you can do to make sure no one has to see their loved become a victim of elder abuse.
If your family member has suffered nursing home abuse or neglect, please contact Breslin & Breslin for a free consultation.
Source: USA Today, “As USA grays, elder abuse risk and need for shelters grow,” Haya El Nasser, Jan. 10, 2012
