Some families opt for homecare for their elders, while others prefer using the nursing homes. What these options have in common is taking care of the elderly when their children are busy in life and have less time to do it themselves. There are a number of facilities in the United States of America that offer home caregivers or nursing homes.
The employees there offer multiple care packages like everyday activities of cooking food, taking care of their medicine, and cleaning their bed sheets daily, and more. But, another hard to digest truth is that there are nursing homes where the elders are actually facing abuse. For helping these vulnerable elders, Personal Injury Lawyer in El Paso are available any time.
If you really want to fight such abuses, law firms with attorneys who are experts in the field are the way to go. Look at their reviews online or check their previous cases. This way you can have more surety and trust letting the best people fight for you, besides you till the end.
Understanding Nursing Home Abuse
The number of elderly people living in nursing homes is increasing yet the number of residents facing neglect and abuse in these nursing homes reaches to 10% as per the information provided by the nursing home abuse statistics.
In addition, almost 32% employees of these nursing homes have shared that they have abused the residents emotionally according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These abuses are not limited to emotions though. The abuse may also include physical, financial, psychological and sexual. The limit to this exploitation is not in place.
Details on these abuses are shared below:
Neglect:
Neglect is a kind of abuse that elderly face in nursing homes. This means that the elderly are not cared for properly. When not cared for, the elderly may face declining health.
Physical Abuse:
This is one of the most alarming abuses the elderly face in the nursing homes. This means that the residents are harmed physically. It includes:
· Getting pushed
· Being restrained
· Getting beaten
Emotional Abuse:
If the elderly residents are listening to threats, getting humiliated, or forced to stay isolated then this comes under the category of emotional abuse. This abuse is as severe as the physical one, maybe even more harmful. Emotional suffering is the outcome.
Financial Abuse:
When the employees of the nursing homes misuses their authority and steal money from the elderly residents one way or another, then this falls under the umbrella of financial abuse.
Sexual Abuse:
Harassment or any sexual act which is non-consensual comes under the category of sexual abuse of the elderly.
The Causes of Nursing Home Abuse
To combat these cases of abuse, understanding the factors can assist. Sometimes underpaid employees become agitated and turn on the residents by busing them.
Sometimes, the sub-standard quality of training and also less frequency of staff development programs lead to the staff abusing the residents.
This means that the employees either do not take care of the residents as they should or it means that they knowingly misuse their authority.
Efforts to Address Nursing Home Abuse
Our elders should always be respected and no matter what kind of abuse to any gender and from any age group is not acceptable. Some ways to address this concern are described below:
Hotlines
If you yourself or anyone you know is facing abuse in nursing homes, the option of using a hotline to report such cases can help in putting a stop to it. There are legal and government agencies that always investigate if the cases are reported. Once done, legal actions are usually taken.
Legal Help
Legal assistance is the right way to protect the rights of residents of any nursing home. For this very reason, the government also passed the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act in 1987. Such legal regulations make it transparent to the stakeholders of any nursing home what protocols must be followed and what penalties are there if the rules are not followed.
Training Workshops & Elderly Guidance
On one side, making sure that the employees working in nursing homes are trained can help in decreasing this abuse. Making them understand the consequences and training them on reacting to different situations can help stop this abuse.
On the other hand, helping the residents in identifying what abuse looks like and how to prevent it from happening again is important. This way the residents will know what to do if they experience or see others experience abuse in nursing homes.
Conclusion
Nursing home abuse is a deeply concerning issue which not only requires immediate attention, but also needs a deep understanding so no one falls victim to it. The problem is, with the passing year more and more people are using nursing homes as their care sanctuaries and this makes them vulnerable.
So, if you or anyone else in your network is facing abuse in nursing homes, then you shouldn’t wait for the worse outcome. Contact experts and seek help. Whether you use a hotline or try getting legal help from experienced law firms, seek help. These options will make sure that the residents are safe and the nursing homes provide a caring environment no matter what.
In addition, the legal aid makes sure that the elderly residents are never alone in this fight against abuse in nursing homes.