Articles Posted in Elder Abuse

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file851332343852When San Diego seniors sustain injuries as a result of nursing home abuse, physicians often are in a distinct position to recognize the signs of abuse or neglect. Yet healthcare providers do not always identify these symptoms when they see them, and thus patterns of abuse can continue. In a recent article in Emergency Medicine News, one emergency physician in Southern California discusses the limitations of identifying elder abuse and the growing connection between medical malpractice and elder abuse claims.

Difficulty in Obtaining Accurate Patient Histories

Over the last decade, physicians have seen more and more older patients. Given that the number of Americans who are aged 85 and older is growing—and will continue to increase rapidly over the coming decades—more emergency room physicians are seeing elders. But the physician in the article warns that emergency medicine specialists need to be careful to avoid taking shortcuts when it comes to treating elderly patients. While healthcare providers in emergency departments are encouraged to work efficiently, or “faster,” as the author intimates, we need to slow down when seniors come in with injuries that could have been caused from nursing home abuse.

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file1251238100316Fact sheets provided by the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) and the Administration on Aging (AoA) emphasize that elder abuse is a common phenomenon, likely affecting at least 10% of seniors in America. Yet those organizations also note that nursing home abuse and neglect are widely underreported, meaning that we do not necessarily have all the facts we need in order to think through new and better ways of combatting nursing home abuse and neglect. According to a recent report from Fox News Health, researchers are voicing similar concerns about the limitations of our current knowledge.

A new research review noted that “maltreatment and abuse have important effects on the health, quality of life, and even on the lifespan of elderly people, but there is very little evidence on ways to stop it.” Recognizing signs and symptoms of nursing home abuse is an important step in putting a stop to abuse. But do we really know the best prevention methods when we may not have a completely accurate picture of the prevalence of elder abuse?

Looking Back at Studies of Elder Maltreatment

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file000356994816Nursing home neglect is a serious problem that can result in severe personal injuries to the elderly. Signs of nursing home neglect, according to a fact sheet from the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) and the Administration on Aging (AoA), often include “hazardous or unsafe living conditions,” as well as “unsanitary and unclean living conditions.” A recent article in the Contra Costa Times identifies a former elderly care home in Castro Valley that is currently under investigation by state and county agencies for “cramped and dirty conditions.”

What happened in this elderly care home, and why did it take so long for authorities to learn about potentially hazardous conditions inside?

Filthy Living Conditions and Absentee Caregivers Signal Cause for Alarm

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file000356994816For those of us with elderly loved ones who are currently living in nursing homes or assisted-living facilities, the threat of injuries caused by nursing home abuse is all too real. But what leads staff members at these facilities to perpetrate acts of elder abuse and neglect? Often, as we have noted in previous posts, understaffing at nursing homes frequently results in patients not receiving proper levels of care. But when we think about physical elder abuse, it is more difficult for most San Diego residents to consider explanations.

The possibility of nursing home abuse is abhorrent to us, but it can be difficult to understand why, exactly, it happens. According to a recent article in Forbes Magazine, one emergency room physician decided to look more closely into acts and events that prompt elder abuse.

Exploring Causes of Elder Abuse

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file5041240433770If you have an elderly loved one in a nursing home or assisted-living facility in the San Diego area, do you need to worry about whether abusive photos of your loved one will end up on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat? According to a recent article in The Washington Post, “posting abusive photos of the elderly on social media” has become an alarming trend in nursing home abuse cases. While most of us would like to believe that technology can only help seniors to have better lives, whether they are living independently or under the care of nursing home staff, the article should put Californians on alert to the emotional and psychological abuse that is happening at nursing homes across the country.

Dehumanizing Photos of Seniors and Emotional Abuse

As the article notes, advocates who work tirelessly to prevent nursing home abuse have identified a disturbing trend when it comes to elder abuse and social media: “nursing home workers across the country are posting embarrassing and dehumanizing photos of elderly residents on social media networks such a Snapchat, violating their privacy, dignity, and sometimes, the law.” Although many of these incidents are only now coming to light, the article intimates that numerous violations of patient privacy—that we know of—occurred back as far as 2012.

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doctorAre California’s assisted-living facilities getting any safer for elderly residents? You might remember a series of reports in U-T San Diego about the prevalence of “deadly neglect” in assisted living facilities throughout our state. While efforts have been underway over the last couple of years to change the culture in California’s assisted-living facilities and residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), it is difficult to know whether or not we can trust that a facility will provide proper care for our elderly loved ones. Nursing home abuse and neglect remains a serious issue in Southern California and, indeed, across the country.

According to a recent news release from the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), a facility in Anaheim was cited for serious violations in connection with elder abuse and neglect. What else do you need to know about the recent citations and what they say about the safety of assisted-living facilities in California?

Report Suggests Patterns of Elder Abuse and Neglect

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ttronslien-9913It can be difficult for California residents who do not have specific ties to elder advocacy groups to learn more about confronting nursing home abuse and neglect in our communities. Yet one city in California has taken steps to make materials about elder abuse awareness and prevention more accessible to members of the community who do not necessarily have specific knowledge about law enforcement or legal advocacy. According to a recent article in the Pleasant Hill Patch, the Contra Costa County Public Law Library is open to the public, providing “resources to help recognize and report elder abuse.”

Library with a “Special Interest in Serving Seniors”

The Contra Costa County Public Law Library has branches in a number of cities in northern California, including Martinez, Richmond, and Pittsburg. Its emphasis on providing “information and resources for recognizing and reporting elder abuse” is an aim that could easily be taken up in Southern California as well, encouraging more San Diego residents to get the information they need to help put a stop to nursing home abuse. As the article articulates, the Contra Costa County library has a “special interest in serving seniors,” and as a result it targets senior citizens in California in its outreach activities.

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file851332343852It no longer comes as a surprise for many Southern Californians that our elderly loved ones can be at serious risk of nursing home abuse and neglect in facilities that we once believed were safe. But recognizing that there is a problem is not enough to solve it. What can we do to prevent elder abuse in a large-scale, lasting way? A recent article in the Cornell Chronicle cited a new study in The New England Journal of Medicine, which underscored the significance of the “It Takes a Village” approach to putting a stop to elder abuse.

Profiling the Most Likely Victims of Elder Abuse

As the new study explains, we have not learned that rates of elder abuse are increasing. Instead, we have learned more about how frequently elder abuse occurs and to whom. Over the last several years, physicians and researchers have identified a certain profile of seniors who are most likely to become victims of nursing home abuse and neglect. Risk factors include but are not limited to:

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handsAccording to a recent article from NBC Los Angeles, two staff members at a caregiver facility in Rancho Cucamonga were accused of elder abuse in the cases of two residents, and investigators indicate that “there may be more victims.” When we think of caregivers and elder abuse, we typically think of scenarios that occur outside nursing home settings. However, it is important to remember that employees of nursing facilities are responsible for providing proper care to seniors. In the recent case, authorities made clear that the victims themselves were “unable to communicate,” yet police obtained evidence to support allegations of dependent adult abuse.

What else do you need to know about caregiver abuse? According to a publication from the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), caregiver abuse is commonly a crime that occurs within families. By taking a close look at the publication, we can address some of the factors that may play a role in situations of caregiver abuse within and outside a senior’s home.

Caregiver Stress and its Relation to Elder Abuse

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walking_togetherGiven that the holiday season typically is a time in which families get together to celebrate, it also offers an opportunity to keep a watchful eye for signs of elder abuse and neglect. According to a publication from the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), holidays often are a time in which we get the chance to visit with elderly parents or grandparents, and a surprising number of those seniors could be at risk of nursing home abuse. As the publication clarifies, about 10% of seniors suffer from elder abuse or neglect, but many of them do not get the chance to report the abuse, particularly if it is happening under the watch of a home caregiver or a nursing home assistant.

What can you do to ensure that all members of your family, including the older adults in your life, have a happy and healthy holiday season?

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