Most of us are horrified by the thought of elder abuse. Our parents took care of us as we grew from babies to children to adults, and we all went the best for them in their twilight years. But as the Baby Boomer generation grows older and more and more of them enter nursing home and in-home care, instances of elder abuse are on the rise.
I see clients whose elderly parents have been abused. That is always a sad conversation, but it is often made sadder by the fact that other family members are commonly the source of the abuse. People are often familiar with physical elder abuse, but are frequently less familiar with emotional abuse, and financial abuse. These are all common, often overlap, and require skilled legal intervention to stop.
If you fear that an elderly loved one is being abused or taken advantage of, you must contact an attorney experienced in representing families in elder abuse situations immediately. Your loved one’s health, finances, and well-being are at stake. Barrett Law has the experience to help you during this difficult time. Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.
Types of Elder Abuse that I Frequently See
Emotional Abuse—emotional abuse occurs when a caregiver threatens, mocks, belittles, or ignores an elderly person in his or her care. Emotional abuse is often the initial form of abuse that a person is subjected to, as if there is little or no evidence that it occurred and is a way of testing whether the elderly victim will report the behavior. This sort of abuse can be particularly difficult to spot when a family member is a caregiver, as longstanding relationships and family history can sometimes what is appropriate communication between the caregiver and the elderly person in his or her care. It may be clear when a nurse in a nursing home is cruel to your parent, but not as clear when your sibling lashes out at your parent in frustration.
Financial Abuse—financial abuse is stealing money from an elderly person as well as manipulating the elderly person to extract money from them. Again, this situation, like emotional abuse, is often much easier to spot in a nursing home environment when the caregiver clearly has no right to the elderly person’s money. It is less clear when family members pay the elderly person’s bills, buy groceries, and have legitimate access to his or her finances. This situation is exacerbated when the elderly person’s family has limited funds, and ongoing care is straining their finances. Careful tracking of bills and finances is key to catching and stopping this sort of exploitation.
Physical Abuse—hitting, pushing, or any other type of physical assault of an elderly person is deplorable and likely criminal. Nursing home staff are trained to differentiate sometimes necessary contact with an elderly person from assault. But family members acting as caregivers likely do not have that training and can also often be swept up in extremely complex emotions surrounding challenging care giving situations. Be on the lookout for unusual or unexplained bruises or a parent that becomes withdrawn or fearful when a particular caregiver is present.
What Should You Do If You Believe Your Loved One is Being Abused?
If you believe a loved one is being abused, contact experienced personal injury counsel immediately. Collecting evidence of the abuse, dealing with opposing counsel, and attaining expert opinions are essential tasks that a personal injury attorney can handle for you while you concentrate on making sure your parent or relative is safe and healthy.
Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi personal injury law firm, to represent you if your loved one has experienced elder abuse. Contact us now at (601) 790-1505.
