Tampa Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Elder abuse happens everywhere: online, at private homes, in stores, and in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. With Florida’s older population, elder abuse, and particularly elder abuse that occurs in nursing homes, is a very big problem here. Abusers take advantage of older people because they do not always have the mental or physical capabilities of standing up for themselves. In fact, the older a nursing home resident is, the easier it is for staff members to neglect or inflict abuse on that person. Older people with dementia are at an even greater risk than a person of the same age without dementia. According to the Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect:
- A U.S. study showed that 47.3 percent of caregivers were neglectful or abusive towards patients that had dementia;
- Another U.S. study confirmed that 60 percent of caregivers were verbally abusive with their patients that had dementia;
- Five to 10 percent of caregivers openly admitted that they were physically abusive towards their patients with dementia in another survey, and 14 percent confirmed that they were neglectful; and
- It is predicted that 7.7 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s by the year 2030, whereas 5.3 million currently have it.
It may be easy to get away with, but it is in no way acceptable to treat an older person, whether they have dementia or not, as less than human. If you have experienced abuse yourself, or you have a loved one that is currently being abused or was abused in the past, contact an experienced Tampa nursing home abuse lawyer immediately to begin work on filing a nursing home abuse lawsuit against the negligent party.
What Does Nursing Home Abuse Consist of?
Most forms of nursing home abuse exist in one or more of the following categories:
- Physical abuse;
- Sexual abuse;
- Emotional or psychological abuse;
- Financial abuse; and
- Neglect.
Physical abuse consist of any unwanted physical contact that can be considered harmful, which includes hitting, pushing, pinching, or grabbing. Sexual abuse is any unwanted fondling, touching, intercourse, kissing, or other sexual acts. Financial abuse consists of any fraudulent act made to separate the older person from their money, and also consists of burglary, robbery, and extortion. Neglect is one of the most common forms of abuse, and it includes withholding food, water, toiletries, or any other necessity as a form of punishment. It also includes confinement and not administering proper care or medication. While all of these types of abuse can and likely will cause emotional trauma, another form of stand alone abuse is emotional or psychological. This type of abuse includes yelling, insulting, or treating the resident in a condescending manner, like someone would a child.
Nursing Home Abuse Widespread
In a study done in 2000, that interviewed 2,000 residence, 44 percent reported that they had been abused and 95 percent reported that they had been neglected, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse. With this kind of widespread abuse, it is up to all of us to do our part in reporting it and taking action to prevent it from continuing to happen. Call The Pendas Law Firm at 1-844-200-0000 today if you or a loved one has been abused. Our Tampa nursing home abuse lawyers will help put an end to this and fight for your rights to recovery.
