With senior abuse on the rise, a few nursing homes have decided to create special care units to provide for these individuals that are over 60 years old and have experienced mistreatment. The shelters provide short-term housing and medical services to victims that were abused by a family member, caretaker, or even another nursing home. The Weinberg Center of the Hebrew Home is the facility that initiated this new program, and at least six more nursing homes have instigated these shelters in their facilities.
According to the president of Hebrew Home, family members often financially abuse elders by stealing their checks or using their money for their own personal benefit. One study estimated that elders lose almost $3 billion a year. According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, these family members usually have a drug problem or a mental illness. Victims may even be aware of what is happening, yet they do not say anything out of fear or embarrassment. Rather the victim, police, medical staff, and social workers are often the ones who report abuse.
The Weinberg Center also provides training to people that can better identify abuse, such as clergy, the staff for Meals on Wheels, and doormen. These people often have regular contact with elder persons, and may be able to spot signs of elder abuse, such as emotional withdrawal, bruises, or change in finances. The center also encourages neighbors to look out for the elders around them, as they also may be able to spot continuous patterns.
If you or an elder you know has been subject to abuse by a family member or caretaker, then now is the time to act. Call a Sacramento elder abuse attorney at the Newman Law Group, LLP who can advise you on the next actions to take. We are committed to fighting for the rights of the elderly.
