Elder Care Abuse
The Golden years Are Not Always So Golden
Our elders are responsible for the way the world is today. They have unlimited knowledge of the world and should be treated with respect. It is a sad fact to recognize that this is not always the reality. Elder care abuse is a very serious issue and every year thousands of elderly Americans are abused in their own homes, in relatives’ homes, and even in facilities responsible for their care. The Pennsylvania elder care lawyers at the Philadelphia law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching and handling elder care abuse cases since 1979.
As elders become more physically frail, they are less able to stand up to “bullying” and or fight back if they are physically attacked. Seniors may not be able to see or hear as well as they could in their earlier years. Senior citizens might not also think as clearly as in the past, making it easy for unscrupulous people to take advantage. Mental or physical ailments may make it more difficult to take care of a loved one, in a care facility, or nursing home.
Elder care abuse can take many forms: physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, financial exploitation, or healthcare fraud. Physical abuse may consist of hitting, shoving, or inappropriate use of medication, restraints, or confinement. Emotional abuse such as intimidation, humiliation, or blaming is common. Emotional abuse is not limited to verbal actions, but can include nonverbal psychological abuse such as ignoring them, isolation, or terrorizing them. Sexual abuse is forceful sexual contact or other improper sexual acts. Neglect or abandonment is failure to fulfill a care-taking obligation, which are the most common reported cases of elder abuse. Neglect can be active (intentional) or passive (unintentional). Financial exploitation involves unauthorized use of an elderly person’s funds or property either by a caregiver or an outside scam artist. Financial exploitation includes: misusing personal checks, credit cards, or bank accounts; stealing cash, income checks, or household goods; forging signatures; or engaging in identity theft. Healthcare fraud and abuse can be carried out by doctors, nurses, hospital personnel, or other professional caregivers. Examples of healthcare fraud include: not providing healthcare, but charging for it; overcharging or double-billing; not following medical equipment laws; getting “kickbacks” for referrals to other medical providers or for prescribing certain drugs; over-medicating or under-medicating; recommending fraudulent remedies for illnesses or other medical conditions; or medicaid/medicare fraud.
Some common signs of elder abuse are frequent arguments or tension between the caregiver and the elderly person and changes in personality or behavior in the elderly subject. Other signs of abuse include: unexplained injuries such as bruises; broken bones or improperly healed bones; signs of unnecessary restraint; refusal of the care giver to leave the elder alone with their family; broken or missing household goods; malnutrition; the elder being left dirty or living in unsafe conditions; significant withdraws from bank accounts or sudden change in a financial situations such as unpaid bills; changes in wills; and duplicate medical bills.
Caregivers may be improperly trained or qualified to handle the elderly. To help reduce costs, nursing homes hire people with minimal qualifications with insufficient training, inadequate/under staffing for the homes, and have low wages with a high employee turnover. Other Significant risk factors for elder abuse by caregivers are: inability to cope with stress (lack of resilience); depression (common among caregivers); lack of support from other potential caregivers; the caregiver’s perception that taking care of the elder is burdensome and without reward; and substance abuse or other vices like gambling addictions.
The best way to prevent elder abuse and professional neglect is to visit the elderly individual frequently if they are in a nursing home. Vary your visits to different times of the day and week to assess the care provided at all times. Talk to the staff and make sure they know and care about your concerns and try to resolve issues of concern. If there are signs of medical fraud, double check all the medical bills for extra or multiple charges, adequate prescriptions and doses, and contact the caregiver and doctors. Check bank accounts for any unusual charges or withdraws. Most importantly, listen to them if they have complaints about abuse. For more information and what you can do to help stop abuse, peruse this report
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The Pennsylvania elder care abuse lawyers at Reiff and Bily work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery. They will not get paid one cent unless there is a successful recovery. They have handled many elder care abuse cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from their opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages resulting from negligence and personal injury issues.
If you are in need of an attorney because you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as a result of elder care abuse, please call the experienced Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at the law firm of Reiff and Bily or visit them at www.reiffandbily.com.
