elder abuse

Published on: December 20, 2015

How to Identify Signs of Sexual Abuse in a Nursing Home

Among the various types of abuse that occur in nursing homes, the most difficult to identify is sexual abuse. Although cases of rape and sexual abuse in nursing homes are rarer than cases of physical abuse, there is no denying the fact that sexual abuse leaves behind long-term psychological and emotional scars that can be even more difficult to heal from than physical injuries.

The elderly are easy victims of sexual abuse, because they often feel ashamed of the abuse and unable to confide in their family about what has transpired. Furthermore, they may feel intimidated or threatened by the perpetrator. All of these things make it difficult for family members to identify abuse.

To determine whether your loved one has been the victim of sexual abuse, look for signs of changed sexual behavior in your loved one. Don’t ignore any signs of sexual promiscuity, suggestive behaviors, or odd behavior.

Published on: February 4, 2012

ProPublica Exposé Reveals Nursing Home Abuse Related Deaths Rarely Investigated

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

According to a new exposé by ProPublica, an unknown number of senior citizens who die in nursing homes around the country may have died due to nursing home abuse.However, their families may never know because investigations into such a wrongful death are rare. Nursing home abuse attorneys are well aware of the serious nature of the problem. When investigating these matters, we often find that the nursing home has been active in trying to cover up the abuse, rather than conducting an honest investigation which uncovers the issue and provides useful information to improving the care they provide.

As part of the exposé, the team at ProPublicainvestigated coroner and medical examiner’s office records, and looked at the number of sudden and unusual fatalities at several nursing homes.They found in their investigations that in cases involving seniors who die suddenly, or under any kind of suspicious circumstances, there is no guarantee of any investigation into the death.ProPublicahas reached several conclusions that point to systemic flaws.

For instance, when a senior death is reported as natural, coroners and medical examiners very rarely investigate it.However, the fact is that very often, doctors make errors in judging whether a death is natural or not.In one study conducted in 2008, approximately 50% of doctors were not able to correctly identify the cause of death for an elderly patient who had died after a brain injury that occurred as a result of a fall accident.What this means is that an unknown number of deaths in nursing homes are probably being classified as natural deaths, when they are anything but.

Published on: June 11, 2011

Focus on Elder Abuse Prevention In Georgia Today

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

This week, elder safety groups and Atlanta nursing home abuse lawyers mark World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.The Georgia Department of Human Services is asking all people to wear purple on Wednesday to raise awareness about elder abuse.

This week, family health agencies and elder safety groups in Georgia are asking all citizens to look out for signs of elder abuse.

Signs of physical abuse of elders are easy to detect.

Published on: March 8, 2011

Nursing Home Malpractice Cases Increase Likely Due to Spike in Elder Abuse

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

According to a federal report, an increase in elder abuse around the country threatens to put more pressure on an already strained adult protective services network. Likewise, this increase will likely cause an increase in nursing home malpractice cases. The report was compiled by the Government Accountability Office.A total of 39 states responded to the survey, which found that there was an increase in elder abuse cases, especially an increase in highly complex cases that involved several different forms of abuse.What is even more concerning to Atlanta elder abuse attorneys, is that even though there has been a spike in elder abuse cases, funding for adult protective services has not kept pace. As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I know that all attorneys are likely to be flooded with a significant number of nursing home malpractice claims.

The report also discusses the kind of person who is more susceptible to abuse.For instance, people with cognitive or physical impairment may be more susceptible to abuse.Elderly persons who have trouble bathing or feeding themselves and are dependent on others for such activities, may be at a higher risk of abuse.Elderly persons who lack social support, like a strong family network, were much more likely to be abused.

Besides, the report also analyzes the detrimental effects of such abuse on victims.For instance, a study conducted in 2,000 found that elder abuse victims had higher levels of depression, compared to elders who were not abused.Another study conducted in 2006 on elderly women in the Midwest found that women who were psychologically abused had more health problems than those who were not abused. Elder abuse also seems to decrease the lifespan of the victims.A decade-long study conducted between 1982 and 1992 found that only 9% of abuse victims were still alive in 1995, compared to 40% of elders who had not been subjected to abuse during the same period. The difference is just staggering and sad. We all must be aware and prepared to act when we see abuse.

Published on: May 29, 2010

DeKalb and Emory to Partner in Care for Abused Elderly

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

DeKalb County, Emory Healthcare Partner to Care for Abused Elderly

It is one of the first such initiatives anywhere in the country, and as Atlanta elder abuse lawyers, we are extremely proud that DeKalb County will be home to an exclusive elder abuse shelter and treatment center. DeKalb County prosecutors and Emory Healthcare are partnering up to provide a safe haven for senior citizens who are abused and have nowhere else to go.

Under the partnership, emergency workers will bring patients would have been abused to the geriatric center at Emory Health Care, which is donating a few beds for this very purpose. These elderly persons will be treated, and then be examined to look for any signs of physical abuse, and if the doctors determined that abuse has taken place, prosecutors will move in to prosecute the cases.

Published on: December 23, 2009

Nursing Home Resident Indicted in Roommate’s Murder: Was Neglect Involved?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

An unusual murder at a nursing home in Massachusetts is grabbing the interest of nursing home attorneys around the country. Does the murder of a 100-year-old patient at an elder care facility by her 98-year-old roommate qualify as grounds for neglect by staff?

The incident occurred at a nursing home in Massachusetts. The victim, Elizabeth Barrow and was found strangulated in her bed in September this year. Indicted in her death is Barrow’s roommate, 98-year-old Laura Lundquist. Lundquist will likely not stand trial, and has been ordered by a judge to undergo a competency evaluation.

According to the victim’s son, Scot Barrow, his mother had told him that she had been frequently threatened and harassed by Lundquist. Scott was concerned enough about these threats to bring them to the notice of the nursing home authorities. However, his concerns were shot down by staff who said that the roommates got along just fine.

Published on: March 31, 2009

Nursing Homes Become Dumping Grounds for Mentally Ill, Increase Risk of Elder Abuse

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Associated Press has a shocking report about the manner in which spare beds at nursing homes around the country are being filled by mentally ill patients, thus exposing the facility’s elderly patients to assaults and abuse.

Across the country, deplorable conditions at mental health institutions have been responsible for the closure of these facilities. Besides, the mentally ill over the past few decades, have benefited from better treatment and more effective drugs which have also played a part in the closure of several of these facilities. This has meant that there are insufficient beds for the mentally ill, and many of them have been shifted to nursing homes instead. In these elder care facilities, these mentally ill patients who suffer from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other serious mental conditions are made to share rooms with weak and sick elderly residents, most of who are above 65 years of age. What makes the problem worse is that the mentally ill patients are much younger, and therefore stronger and healthier than their geriatric roommates. This has given rise to a potentially dangerous situation in which the elderly are at risk of violent assaults and even sexual abuse at the hands of the mentally ill.

There is no official data on how many of such assaults on the elderly by their mentally ill roommates have taken place, but numerous cases have been reported. In one instance, in 2003 a mentally ill woman at a nursing home in Hartford, Connecticut, set fire to the nursing home she was living at. Sixteen residents were killed n the inferno. The woman was judged incompetent to stand trial and was committed to a mental institution. There have been other instances of assault, including beatings and rapes of elderly residents.