Elder Abuse and Neglect
By: William C. Illingworth
Over 1.6 million elderly Americans reside in nursing homes in this country. However, it has become apparent that family members can no longer assume that the nursing homes in which they have entrusted their loved one's care provides adequate treatment. Today, many nursing homes are plagued with rampant incidents of neglect of their residents. Even worse, elderly residents of nursing homes are often intentionally mistreated. Too often, the elderly are subjected to physical and mental abuse by nursing home staff, have their nutritional and medical needs ignored or have their money taken from them. It is estimated that over 820,000 of the elderly have been abused and/or neglected. This abuse or neglect can lead to dire consequences for the elderly. A recent study of California nursing homes found that more than half of the suspicious deaths of nursing homes residents were most likely due to neglect. The study further found that nearly one-third of all California nursing homes were cited for potentially life-threatening care violations.
Nursing homes residents possess federally protected rights. In order to qualify for medicare and medicaid funding, nursing homes in Illinois and Indiana are required to comply with certain Federal guidelines. Generally, these guidelines require nursing homes to provide services and activities for the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychological well-being of each resident. A breach of this standard may impart the elderly or his or her family with a cause of action. Should one of your loved ones have been subjected to this type of conduct, we would be more than happy to assist you in contacting the appropriate authorities.