Nursing Home and Elder Abuse

Facts And Figures

“There are nearly 17,000 nursing homes in the United States that currently care for 1.6 million residents – a figure expected to quadruple to 6.6 million residents by 2050,” the Committee on Government Report – Minority Office of the U.S. House of Representatives announced.
“According to the best available estimates, between 1 and 2 million Americans age 65 or older have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection,” states the Committee on National Statistics in its 2002 report, Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America.

No one really knows how many of our vulnerable elderly are being neglected, abused or exploited because such actions are easily hidden from view and underreported.

What is clear is that abusers can be family members, spouses, caregivers, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and home health care agencies, and that the frequency of nursing home and elder abuse will undoubtedly increase over the next several decades, as the population ages.

“Elder abuse” is intentional or neglectful actions and the failure to act so that an elderly person (or an adult who is unable to care for him/herself), is hurt by a caregiver or family member who has a trust relationship with the elder.

Sadly, elder abuse is so common in nursing homes that nursing homes and elder abuse have become synonymous.

Common Types of Nursing Home And Elder Abuse

The Heimberg Law Group handles cases in which the abuser is a nursing home, a bed and board facility, an assisted living facility, a hospital or some other institution. The most common forms of nursing home or elder abuse are:

physical abuse, which in addition to slapping, hitting, punching, kicking, beating, burning, scratching and pinching, also may include force-feeding, inappropriate use of drugs or physical restraints, or withholding necessary care;
sexual abuse, including unwanted touching, harassment, rape and other acts either unwanted or the elder is not able capable of giving consent;
the refusal or failure to provide the services – including therapy, medicines and care – an elder (or dependent adult), needs, as well as understaffing.

Be aware that there are strict time limits you must meet to file a lawsuit. These time limits are complex and strictly enforced by the courts. It is in your and your family member’s best interest to speak to an attorney as soon as possible.

Reasons to File a Case

You or your loved one not only deserves to be compensated for your or their pain and suffering and the loss of enjoyment of life, but, most importantly, you or they deserve to be free from abuse and any new financial hardships you or they encounter. You or your loved one may have mounting medical bills or need to hire help to assist with care. Payment for your or a family member’s injuries or for the unnecessary death of a loved one is often critical to your and your family’s future.

Yet in most cases you or your loved one will face an army of lawyers, an entire department at an insurance company, and the resources of a mega-corporation fighting against you to avoid providing you the money you desperately need. In other words, their whole focus is to avoid claims or to settle with you for the least amount of money possible.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

If you or a loved one is a victim of nursing home or elder abuse, contact us for a free consultation.