louisiana elder abuse and neglect: part1-the problem
TRANSCRIPT
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
ELDER ABUSE AND NEGLECT
Part I – The Problem
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Deciding to put your parent, or another elderly loved one, in a nursing home or other long-term care facility may be the most difficult decision
you ever make
Knowing the odds that your loved one will become a victim of elder abuse or neglect makes the decision even harder to make
MAKING DIFFICULT DECISIONS
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
You have undoubtedly heard the term “The Greying of America”. Here is
what it means:
THE GREYING OF AMERICA
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Average life expectancy in the U.S rose from 46/48 to 74/80 (males and females) between 1900 and 2000.
1
Older Americans represented 12.4% of the population in the year 2000. By the year 2030 older
Americans are expected to represent 20% of the population.
2
By 2050, older Americans will outnumber their younger counterparts (21 & younger) for the first
time in history
In 2009, there were about 40 million older Americans. By 2030 experts anticipate about 72 million older
Americans, more than double since 2000
4
3
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Physical abuse –physically restraining, pushing, shoving, slapping, punching, kicking or otherwise assaulting a victim
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Mental/emotional abuse – verbally degrading, threatening to harm or abandon, or name-
calling
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Sexual abuse – anything from inappropriate touching to rape
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Neglect – failing to help the victim with personal hygiene,
failing to give the victim medication when it is due,
and/or isolating a victim from loved ones or doctors
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Abandonment – desertion by someone who has agreed to care
for the victim
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Financial exploitation – misuse of funds, unauthorized
“borrowing” assets, and/or outright theft of money or other
assets
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Problem is new to law enforcement1
Reporting requirements are not uniform2
Victims fear reprisals from abuser3
Victims are ashamed4
WHY WE DON’T HAVE ACCURATE STATISTICS ON ELDER ABUSE
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
• 1 in 10 older Americans admitted to suffering abuse or neglect (other than financial exploitation) in the past year
• Less than 1 in 15 instances of elder abuse or neglect is reported
• 4 out of 10 older Americans report being exploited financially
• 5 million instances of financial abuse of the elderly occur every year
• 1 to 2 million older Americans are abused or neglected every year
AVAILABLE DATA
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
ABUSE AND NEGLECT IN NURSING HOMES
• During a recent 2 year period, 1 in 3 nursing homes were cited for federal standards that had potential to cause harm or that had caused actual harm
• 44% of nursing home residents admitted to being abused
• 95% admitted to being neglected, or seeing another resident neglected in a 2000 study
• 50% of nursing home staff admitted to mistreating an older patient
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
When surveyed, a group of Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)
admitted: 17% pushed grabbed or shoved a
nursing home resident
1
51% had yelled at a resident2
23% had insulted or cussed at a resident
3
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Physical abuse 29%
1
Resident to resident abuse 22%
2
Psychological abuse 21%
3
FREQUENCY BY TYPE OF ABUSE
Gross neglect 14%
4
Sexual abuse 7%5
Financial exploitation 7%
6
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
YOUR LEGAL OPTIONS
If you are the loved one of an older American who has been abused or
neglected you may have both criminal and civil legal options
Please see Part II of this series and consult with an experienced Louisiana Elder Abuse
and Neglect attorney right away
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
LEARN MORE ABOUT ELDER ABUSE IN LOUISIANA
1301 Common Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601 Tel 866-281-4774
Click to visit www.Broussard-Hart.comOr call 866-281-4774